The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly rejected an attempt by California lawmakers to over turn the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to deny California's request for an oxygenate wavier during consideration of H.R. 4. By a vote of 300 to 125, the House rejected an amendment offered by California Representatives Chris Cox and Henry Waxman that would have exempted California from the federal reformulated gasoline oxygen standard.

The Governors' Ethanol Coalition expressed its opposition to the amendment in a letter to House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois and Minority Leader Dick Gephardt of Missouri. "The success of this program was reaffirmed on a scientific basis in the latest decision by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to deny California's waiver request," said Coalition Chairman and Nebraska Governor Mike Johanns. "Ethanol used in reformulated gasoline will improve California's air quality, can be shipped to California economically and can eventually be produced in California. There is no scientific or economic reason to take a step backward in this nation's clean air program and our efforts to reduce imports of foreign oil."