MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA — Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has directed the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to stop enforcing dyed diesel fuel laws for the next 120 days, giving the state’s farmers and timber operators temporary relief as record diesel prices squeeze agricultural and timber operations during peak harvest season.
Dyed diesel is a tax-exempt fuel normally reserved for off-road equipment and machinery. Using it in on-road commercial vehicles is prohibited under normal circumstances.
In a letter to ALEA Secretary Hal Taylor, Ivey wrote that enforcement should shift away from dyed diesel identification and toward inspections that present actual public safety threats. “The increase in diesel fuel prices has been particularly sharp relative to other fuel prices, directly affecting Alabama’s agricultural and timber industries,” Ivey wrote. “In response to these extraordinary circumstances, I am requesting that ALEA and other enforcement agencies temporarily adjust its enforcement priorities concerning the use of dyed diesel fuel.”
The directive takes effect immediately and runs through Alabama’s harvest season, which extends through November 15.
“As we are in the beginning of peak harvest season in Alabama, I am committed to doing what we can to support our state’s farmers and their families,” Ivey said. “When we can responsibly provide relief, I am all for it, and this is a measured, doable and commonsense action to help out Alabama’s agricultural and timber communities.”
Ivey also instructed Alabama Department of Revenue Commissioner Mary Martin Mitchell to request dyed diesel fuel penalty relief from the Internal Revenue Service.
ALEA Secretary Taylor said the agency would implement the directive while maintaining its focus on public safety. “These industries are vital to Alabama’s economy and to communities throughout our state,” Taylor said.
📸 Image(s) used under fair use for news reporting.
