LINCOLN, Neb. -- The National Conference on Weights and Measures has decided not to proceed with proposals to regulate the temperature of retail fuel at the pump.

The national standard-setting group was slated to take up two resolutions at its annual meeting last month in San Antonio, Texas, but the committee charged with examining temperature compensation recommended the item be stricken.

"The overwhelming majority of comments were opposing (automatic temperature compensation)," the committee said in a statement.

The committee pulled the item, citing "conference consensus against (automatic temperature compensation), economic cost factors, lack of benefit to consumers, absence of uniformity in the marketplace and the additional cost to weights and measures officials and service companies."

The issue of temperature compensation at the fuel pump rose to prominence following a series of articles in the Kansas City Star, beginning in 2006. (See Oct. 1, 2006 and later issues of Bus & Motorcoach News.)

Supporters of ATC regulations argue that as liquid fuel is warmed, it expands, but the energy content remains constant. Historically, fuel sold from wholesalers to retailers is adjusted for these changes in temperature, but fuel sold to consumers is not.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is one of several groups that have pressed for regulation of fuel temperatures.

Norita Taylor, spokeswoman for the drivers group, said the decision by the National Conference on Weights and Measures was "an example of highly effective lobbying by petroleum marketers and their effect on regulatory issues to the detriment of consumers."

The decision by the weights and measures group did not detour Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., from reintroducing legislation requiring the installation of automatic temperature compensation equipment on all retail fuel pumps.

The Future Accountability In Retail Fuel Act of 2009, as it's called -- or FAIR Fuel Act -- would mandate the installation of the technology within six years to adjust the price of gas as it expands in warmer temperatures.

When diesel fuel and gasoline expand in warmer months, it reaches temperatures higher than the government standard of 60 degrees. When this happens, consumers get less energy for their money, according to a press release. This costs Americans about $2.57 billion a year.

The senator originally introduced the legislation in 2007, after reading the articles in the Kansas City Star exposing the issue.