PBF Lobbies on Refinery Hydrofluoric Acid Ban

• PBF Holding Co. LLC (in-house): $220,000; lobbyists Scott Hayes, Matthew Lucey, and Brendan Williams, whose covered position is listed as "Various positions up to Head, Government Relations."
• Blank Rome Government Relations LLC: $30,000; lobbyists David Thompson and Jenni Ellison.
• McCarthy Advanced Consulting LLC: $30,000; lobbyists Mike Liptak, Frank McCarthy, and Paul Milotte.

Broader Context

H.R. 7384 — Hydrofluoric acid ban

H.R. 7384, introduced Feb. 4, by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA-43), would prohibit petroleum refineries from using hydrofluoric acid and require existing refineries to transition to safer alternatives within five years, with civil penalties of $37,500 per violation after that period; it remains at the introduced stage in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

H.R. 1346 and S. 593 — Year-round E15

The Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2025, sponsored by Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE-3), passed the House and would amend the Clean Air Act to allow gasoline blended with up to 15 percent ethanol (E15) to be sold year-round, nullify existing state exclusions from the Reid Vapor Pressure waiver, and direct the EPA to return compliance credits to small refineries in certain circumstances. The Renewable Fuels Association backed the bill, citing E15's discount to E10 averaging more than 10%. A 14-group coalition including the Competitive Enterprise Institute opposed it, arguing it expands federal fuel mandates and burdens independent refiners.

H.R. 3109 — REFINER Act

The REFINER Act, sponsored by Rep. Robert E. Latta (R-OH-5), passed the House and was received in the Senate on Dec. 1, 2025; it has been referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and awaits action there. The bill directs the Department of Energy to have the National Petroleum Council publish a report on U.S. petrochemical refineries, covering their energy security contributions, expansion opportunities and risks, federal or state actions that reduced capacity, and recommendations to increase capacity. On the House floor, Latta cited an estimated North American loss of 1 million barrels per day in refining capacity; Reps. Frank Pallone (D-NJ-06) and Kathy Castor (D-FL-14) opposed the bill, with Pallone calling the study unnecessary and Castor arguing the National Petroleum Council's industry membership could produce a biased report.

H.R. 5636 — RFS reallocation

The Protect Consumers from Reallocation Costs Act of 2025, sponsored by Rep. Mike Kennedy (R-UT-3) in the House and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) in the Senate (S. 2742), would stop the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from shifting renewable fuel blending obligations from small refineries to other oil companies when small-refinery exemptions are granted; both bills remain at the introduced stage.

Competitive Landscape

Thirty organizations are associated with H.R. 1346, including Growth Energy Inc., National Farmers Union, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, Chevron USA Inc., and the American Petroleum Institute. H.R. 3109 lists American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers and Kern County, Calif. H.R. 5636 lists Labor & Energy Alliance Inc., American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, and United Steelworkers.

The Bottom Line

PBF's in-house filing rose $20,000 from the second to the third quarter, while the outside lobbying roster has remained stable across all three registrants. The REFINER Act, which passed the House, was received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on December 1, 2025, more than 10 months before the October 20 filing date. H.R. 1346 has passed the House.

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