Earlier this week, NACS advocated for its energy policy principles in a letter to the Energy Subcommittee of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, as part of the Subcommittee’s hearing titled: Powering America’s Future: Unleashing American Energy.

The hearing, held on Wednesday, February 5, aimed to “explore how expanding domestic American energy production and delivery protects national security, lower costs for households, and fuels economic growth, particularly in manufacturing and information technology,” according to the hearing memorandum.

In the letter to the Subcommittee, NACS said:

The convenience retailing industry is responsible for more than 80% of the motor fuel sold in the United States. As such, NACS members can and do serve as essential points of delivery for the increasingly varied sources of transportation energy—including gasoline, diesel fuel, propane, natural gas, biofuels, hydrogen and electricity—relied upon daily by American households and businesses. A healthy trade in these diverse energy products is fundamental to our members’ and their customers’ ability to survive and thrive in a modern economy, and NACS appreciates the subcommittee’s willingness to investigate those issues.

NACS highlighted the following areas which it supports:

• Broad and Deep Supply: “Convenience retailers’ success begins with the upstream partners from whom they obtain their transportation energy products. Here, policies that foster a broad supply across both traditional and alternative types of fuel, and a deep supply capable of withstanding production or distribution constraints, ensure a steady and affordable source of transportation energy for retailers and their customers.”
• Stable and Functional Markets: “In such a highly regulated industry, our members can most efficiently deploy capital when operating within regulatory frameworks that promote certainty and transparency for market participants. This goal is best served when the rights and obligations of regulated parties are settled in a timely fashion, are administered consistently from year to year and are subjected to competitive market forces.”
• Robust Infrastructure: “To effectively serve the motoring public, convenience stores depend on a diverse array of transportation energy infrastructure to move fuels from their source to point of sale. For vehicles powered by liquid and gaseous fuels, this means a reliable network of railways, pipelines, shipping and trucking. For electric drivetrains, this means a resilient grid with adequate capacity, connectivity and redundancy.”
• Level Playing Fields: “Finally, to maximize micro- and macro-economic benefits in the transportation energy arena, all channels of trade—including public and quasi-public market participants, like local governments and utility companies—must be treated on equal footing, and none should be allowed to use their market position to create or perpetuate unfair competition. Likewise, policies that pick winners and losers amongst the competing types of motor fuels—rather than setting neutral, performance-based standards toward which the market can direct its research and development capital—will discourage private investment and undermine the long-term success of American energy policy.”

Make your voice heard at the 2025 NACS Day on the Hill, which will take place March 11-12 in Washington D.C. Day on the Hill is all about convenience and fuel retailing industry advocates sharing their stories with lawmakers—while also forming valuable, lasting connections. Your participation and support are the key to our industry being able to maintain a strong voice in D.C.