Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA) has introduced a piece of legislation that would require fuel pumps to inform consumers where the gas they are putting in their vehicles is coming from.

The country-of-origin labeling requirements on fuel are supported by Ret. U.S. Gen. Wesley Clark.

“I believe if people go to the gas pump and realize, okay, just spent 42 dollars filling up and 12 dollars is going to Venezuela, 14 dollars of that is going to Nigeria, then suddenly the connection will be made and people will be asking ‘why can’t we find substitutes at home?’” he was quoted by Radio Iowa as saying “why can’t we have more effective exploration and production, and synthetic oil in the United States.”

The bill, H.R. 2073, has been referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. It currently has no co-sponsors.

It would require the U.S. Energy Secretary to work with the Environmental Protection Agency to develop standards for the labeling.

Braley says that the legislation will not only create jobs by ramping up domestic production, but it will hasten the move to alternative energies.

“When we look at the raw numbers, the fact is that we are importing 31 percent of our oil from three countries,” Braley said. “The more that we can reduce that dependence and create opportunities to produce fuel in the U.S., whether through traditional petroleum or through alternatives like biofuels, that has a significant impact on job creation in the U.S. So, the whole point is, by reducing our addiction to foreign oil, it will open up job opportunities here.”

Last year, the U.S. imported nearly 70 percent of its oil, accounting for about $400 million worth. Just 40 years ago the percentage of oil imported was just 24 percent.

America’s oil addiction not only funnels money to hostile regimes, such as Iran and Venezuela, but it is also a driving factor in the nation’s ever-growing trade deficit.

In 2008, America’s oil trade deficit – $386 billion – was even greater than the trade deficit with China – $266 – which is commonly thought to be the largest factor in America’s current account balance. Nearly one of every six dollars spent on imports goes toward oil. In 2008, America sent nearly $1 billion a day overseas to import oil.

“Just the tax on that type of money staying inside the United States, as it turns over-and-over, would probably be close to $100 billion of tax receipts,” Clark said. “It could fund education. It could fund infrastructure improvements. Plus it allows us to have the demand we need to really bring our biofuels industry — ethanol and advanced cellulosic biofuels — forward, because what we need is the opportunity to compete.”

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