Hotline: Bobtailed Bill Centers On Ethanol Dispute
DISPUTE OVER FUEL BLENDING AT HEART OF UNCONSTITUTIONAL TACK-ON
FITSNews – June 10, 2008 – An unconstitutional amendment to a sales tax exemption bill is the byproduct of an ongoing feud between oil companies and gas stations over who gets to blend ethanol with gasoline, the SC Hotline is reporting this morning.
From their editor Jeffrey Sewell’s article:
I must say this is exactly the type of amendment that the SC Supreme Court dubbed “bobtailing†and declared unconstitutional. That could very easily be the reason that Sen. McConnell voted against an amendment to his own bill.
S. 1143 now sits on Governor Sanford’s desk where, by Wednesday, June 11, he must sign it, veto it or let it become law without his signature.
From a constitutional standpoint, there is only one option for the Governor to take – veto the bill. Otherwise, the state could end up in litigation that would cost a lot more money than we’re paying at the pump.
The ethanol amendment was never introduced as a separate piece of legislation, nor was it debated in any committee or sub-committee of the S.C. General Assembly – which is where expert testimony and public feedback are offered on proposed bills.
We agree with Hotline , the governor needs to veto this bill … if the special interest group pushing this amendment wants a new law for its clients, then it should play by the rules. It shouldn’t ask lawmakers to violate our constitution by sneaking in an illegal amendment at the last second.
Comments
By Free markets are a mirage on June 10th, 2008 at 9:10 am
Did you know that we tax imported ethanol from Brazil at 52 cents per gallon? We do not tax oil from terrorist countries yet we tax ethanol trying to come into our port cities like Charleston.
Is anybody home at the federal government regarding an effective energy policy?
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