Lawmakers in both the House and Senate are pushing legislation that would subject tar sands and other crude oils to the tax that finances the oil spill trust fund, seeking to close a loophole that many fear could undermine the cleanup fund just as growing volumes of the crude oil enter the United States from drilling operations in Canada and elsewhere. Sens. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Carl Levin (D-MI) introduced legislation March 13 that would define "crude oil," for the purposes of the federal excise tax that funds the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, to include any bitumen or bituminous mixture, including that derived from tar sands. The legislation is available on InsideEPA.com. Seepage 2 for details. (Doc. ID: 2464387) The Markey-Levin definition is nearly identical to a provision Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI), chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee, has included in draft comprehensive tax reform legislation that the committee began circulating earlier this year.
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