NATSO, SIGMA urge treasury department to finalize rule for section 45Z as Congress intended

NATSO, representing the nation’s truck stops and travel centers, and SIGMA: America’s Leading Fuel Marketers, praised President Donald Trump and his administration for restoring technology neutrality to the section 45Z clean fuel production credit under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, establishing one of the most effective and accessible strategies to lower diesel costs.

NATSO and SIGMA, which represent 80 percent of the nation’s fuel sold at retail, urge the U.S. Department of the Treasury to finalize a rule for section 45Z that implements this sound policy as Congress intended. 

“Ensuring that sustainable aviation fuel competes on equal terms with other clean transportation fuels corrected a structural imbalance that disadvantaged over-the-road biofuels relative to aviation fuel,” said David Fialkov, the executive vice president of government affairs for NATSO and SIGMA. “Properly implementing this congressionally directed approach will allow markets to do their job and ensure that taxpayer resources are directed toward the fuels that deliver the greatest benefit to American consumers.”

With retail diesel prices averaging nearly $6 per gallon amid ongoing geopolitical instability in the Middle East, tech neutrality between sustainable aviation fuel, renewable diesel and biodiesel will mean that truck drivers and fleets continue to have access to advanced biofuels that diversify the energy supply and lower diesel prices, NATSO stated.

Lower-cost renewable fuels reduce operating costs for trucking fleets that move American goods and the families who depend on affordable transportation costs for everything from groceries to home heating.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act eliminated a premium tax credit that favored sustainable aviation fuel over road-based biofuels, leveling the playing field for over-the-road diesel alternatives.

Previous iterations of 45Z provided up to $1.75 per gallon for SAF production while capping ground transportation fuels at $1, pulling limited feedstocks away from the diesel pool that the trucking industry depends on, according to NATSO. 

“Restoring technology neutrality to fuels policy means the market is free to deliver the most efficient advanced fuels, driving demand for biodiesel and renewable diesel and keeping feedstocks flowing into the fuels that move American goods,” NATSO stated.

NATSO and SIGMA said they will continue working with the treasury department throughout the rulemaking process to ensure the final 45Z rule delivers meaningful relief to American consumers.