SENATE PASSES RESOLUTION TO REMOVE REFORMULATED GAS REQUIREMENT
FRANKFORT, KY (Feb. 25, 2025)— The Kentucky Senate has passed Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 28, sponsored by Sen. Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, to urge the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to remove the federal reformulated gasoline (RFG) requirement in Jefferson, Oldham, and Bullitt Counties. The resolution, which is now with the House, seeks to provide relief to consumers facing higher fuel costs due to the longstanding federal mandate.
“For too long, Louisville-area residents and businesses have paid unnecessarily higher fuel prices due to the EPA’s outdated reformulated gasoline requirement,” said Adams. “With today’s Senate passage of SJR 28, we are sending a strong message to the federal government that Kentucky wants relief at the pump.”
The RFG program, implemented in the 1990s, was meant to reduce air pollution but now adds 20–25 cents per gallon and reduces fuel efficiency by 2–3 percent. Kentucky lawmakers have long advocated for its removal. In recent years, the legislature passed similar measures, including House Joint Resolution (HJR) 37 (2023) to call on the EPA to act.
After Adams filed SJR 28 on February 4, Governor Andy Beshear sent a letter to the EPA on February 11 to formally request the removal of the Louisville metro area from the RFG program.
SJR 28 directs the Governor and the Energy and Environment Cabinet to ensure the state’s air quality plan is revised to eliminate the RFG requirement while maintaining compliance with National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The Cabinet must report to the Interim Joint Committee on Natural Resources and Energy by October 31 on its progress.
“With 18 years of attainment and advancements in technologies and fuels, it is time to release Jefferson, Bullitt, and Oldham Counties from this increased cost of living,” Adams added.
SJR 28 passed 37-0 and now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.
For more information visit www.kylegislature.gov.
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Sen. Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, represents Kentucky’s 36th Senate District in eastern Jefferson County. Adams chairs the Senate Licensing and Occupations Committee. She also serves as a member of the Senate Committees on Banking and Insurance, Health Services, and State and Local Government. Adams is an Administrative Regulations Review Subcommittee member and recently served as a 2024 Kentucky Housing Task Force Member.
For a high-resolution .jpeg of Sen. Raque Adams, please visit: https://legislature.ky.gov/Legislators%20Full%20Res%20Images/senate136.jpg.
