15 U.S.C. § 26a — Restrictions on the purchase of gasohol and synthetic motor fuel

submitted 112 years ago by Pub. L. 96-493 to r/title-15-COMMERCE-AND-TRADE · 471 words · no verdicts yet

in plain englishAI-generated · not legal advice

This law bans unfair limits on selling gasohol or similar synthetic motor fuel. Businesses can't apply unequal credit rules or other unreasonable restrictions to these fuels. It still allows reasonable credit fees, pump labeling, and liability disclaimers.

(a) Limitations on the use of credit instruments; sales, resales, and transfers It's against the law for anyone doing business across state lines to impose limiting conditions on gasohol or synthetic fuel sales, unless subsection (b) allows it. Two things are banned: (1) limiting how customers can pay with credit for gasohol or synthetic fuel, when there's no similar credit limit on that person's regular motor fuel; or (2) any other unreasonable discrimination against, or unreasonable limit on, selling, reselling, or transferring gasohol or synthetic fuel — when that fuel or the regular fuel is sold for use, consumption, or resale in the United States. (b) Credit fees; equivalent conventional motor fuel sales; labeling of pumps; product liability disclaimers; advertising support; furnishing facilities This subsection carves out things sellers can still do: (1) They may charge a reasonable credit fee for gasohol or synthetic fuel sales, as long as the fee only covers the actual cost of giving that credit — this applies even under other petroleum-sale laws in effect on December 2, 1980. (2) The bans in this section don't apply to a seller who supplies enough gasohol and synthetic fuel to meet customer demand, on terms and conditions equal to their regular fuel's terms. (3) Nothing in this section stops a seller from: (A) requiring a reasonable label on pumps saying the gasohol or synthetic fuel wasn't manufactured, distributed, or sold by them; or (B) issuing appropriate disclaimers of product liability for damage from using the fuel. And nothing requires the seller to: (C) provide advertising support for the fuel, or (D) furnish or pay for extra pumps, tanks, or related facilities needed to sell it. (c) "United States" defined In this section, "United States" means the several states, the District of Columbia, any U.S. territory, and any island possession or other place under U.S. jurisdiction.

the actual law source: uscode.house.gov ↗public domain

(a) Limitations on the use of credit instruments; sales, resales, and transfers

Except as provided in subsection (b), it shall be unlawful for any person engaged in commerce, in the course of such commerce, directly or indirectly to impose any condition, restriction, agreement, or understanding that—

(1)

limits the use of credit instruments in any transaction concerning the sale, resale, or transfer of gasohol or other synthetic motor fuel of equivalent usability in any case in which there is no similar limitation on transactions concerning such person’s conventional motor fuel; or

(2)

otherwise unreasonably discriminates against or unreasonably limits the sale, resale, or transfer of gasohol or other synthetic motor fuel of equivalent usability in any case in which such synthetic or conventional motor fuel is sold for use, consumption, or resale within the United States.

(b) Credit fees; equivalent conventional motor fuel sales; labeling of pumps; product liability disclaimers; advertising support; furnishing facilities

(1)

Nothing in this section or in any other provision of law in effect on December 2, 1980, which is specifically applicable to the sale of petroleum products shall preclude any person referred to in subsection (a) from imposing a reasonable fee for credit on the sale, resale, or transfer of the gasohol or other synthetic motor fuel referred to in subsection (a) if such fee equals no more than the actual costs to such person of extending that credit.

(2)

The prohibitions in this section shall not apply to any person who makes available sufficient supplies of gasohol and other synthetic motor fuels of equivalent usability to satisfy his customers’ needs for such products, if the gasohol and other synthetic fuels are made available on terms and conditions which are equivalent to the terms and conditions on which such person’s conventional motor fuel products are made available.

(3)

Nothing in this section shall—

(A)

preclude any person referred to in subsection (a) from requiring reasonable labeling of pumps dispensing the gasohol or other synthetic motor fuel referred to in subsection (a) to indicate, as appropriate, that such gasohol or other synthetic motor fuel is not manufactured, distributed, or sold by such person;

(B)

preclude such person from issuing appropriate disclaimers of product liability for damage resulting from use of the gasohol or other synthetic motor fuel;

(C)

require such person to provide advertising support for the gasohol or other synthetic motor fuel; or

(D)

require such person to furnish or provide, at such person’s own expense, any additional pumps, tanks, or other related facilities required for the sale of the gasohol or other synthetic motor fuel.

As used in this section, “United States” includes the several States, the District of Columbia, any territory of the United States, and any insular possession or other place under the jurisdiction of the United States.

Source credit: (Oct. 15, 1914, ch. 323, § 26, as added Pub. L. 96–493, § 2, Dec. 2, 1980, 94 Stat. 2568.)

history & why it existsrecord from the source credit

1914Enacted · Pub. L. 96-493 · 94 Stat. 2568

A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by Pub. L. 96-493 on 1914-10-15.

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