YOUR WEEKLY MEMBER NEWS LETTER:
is a service provided only to members of the Nebraska Petroleum Markers & Convenience Store Association (NPCA). If you have any key personnel that would like to be added at no additional charge, please feel free to reply to
tkeigher@npcainc.com, katie@npcainc.com or call (402)-474-6691.
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Thank You to NPCA's Partners
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NPCA HEALTH INSURANCE AVAILABILITY SURVEY
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As you know Federated, whom NPCA has endorsed for many years for healthcare insurance, decided to leave this arena back on December 31, 2017.
In an effort to help members find an alternative and to assist members in controlling their health care premiums the association is looking at the interest and viability of forming a Multiemployer Welfare Organization (MEWA), aka, an association sponsored health care plan.
In order to find insurance carriers who are willing to look at underwriting a potential group plan, we first must gather some information from our members.
The survey link below will allow NPCA to see what the interest level of members is and provide the needed information to seek proposals from insurance carriers.
I ask that you please complete the survey, as it should only take you, or your staff, about 10 minutes or less. We need as many members as possible, who are interested in looking at such an alternative, to participate in the survey. Participation in the survey by no means obligates you to signing up for the association sponsored plan should one come about. We just need to know if there is enough interest to continue to move forward at the possibility of making one available to members.
If you should have any questions, please feel free to contact me by email at
tkeigher@npcainc.com or by calling the association offices at (402)-474-6691.
Thank you for your continuing investment in NPCA and we hope that you find this option for health care as a valuable, potential member benefit.
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Kerr Elected Director of Federated Insurance Companies
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News Release
For Immediate Release: April 2018
Contact: Pat Cooper
Executive Vice President - Director of Communications and Corporate Support
E-mail: pkcooper@fedins.com
Phone: 507.455.5747
Kerr Elected Director of Federated Insurance Companies
Mike Kerr, of Owatonna, Minnesota, was elected to the Board of Directors of the Federated Insurance Companies. The election took place at the Annual Meeting of Policyholders held April 17, 2018, at Federated Insurance Companies' home office in Owatonna, Minnesota.
Kerr is the President and Chief Operating Officer of Federated Insurance Companies. Kerr graduated from Central Michigan University with a degree in Business Administration.
In 1981, Mike began his career with Federated as a Marketing Development Trainee. He has filled many roles, including Marketing Representative, District Marketing Manager, Regional Marketing Manager, DOFO, Director of Association Risk Management Services (ARMS), Vice President, First Vice President, and Senior Vice President. Over the years, Mike has led various functions in Federated's home office and chaired numerous internal teams.
In December of 2017, Kerr was appointed to President and Chief Operating Office, a role which assumed greater responsibility and authority for the operation functions including P&C Underwriting, Special Accounts, P&C Claims and Field Services, Life and Disability, Marketing, Marketing Services and Support, ARMS, Learning Center, and Granite Re, Inc. "Mike lives and breathes integrity, while adhering to the core principles and values upon which our Company has been built," Federated Insurance Chairman and CEO Jeff Fetters said. "His leadership throughout a number of operational roles makes him exceptionally qualified for his new governance responsibilities." Founded in 1904, Federated Insurance is a national insurance and risk management organization that serves the property, casualty, and life insurance needs of clients in select industries. The organization has hundreds of recommendations from state, regional, and national associations and affinity groups and is rated A+ (Superior) by industry analyst A.M. Best®.
At Federated Insurance, It's Our Business to Protect Yours.®Recently, the Trump Administration used its waiver authority under the RFS to exempt several small refiners from their renewable volume obligations (RVOs) which in turn has dampened ethanol RIN values. The EPA has the authority to grant exemptions from the program to refineries with a capacity under 75,000 barrels per day if the company can demonstrate financial hardship. Twenty-five exemptions have already been granted this year with possibly more to come. In response, Midwestern Senators fired off a letter to the EPA Administration earlier this week urging the EPA to halt the exemptions because it undermined the intent of the RFS. The letter stated, "The granting of waivers for 2016 RVOs have effectively reduced the 2016 requirement of 15 billion gallons to 13.8 billion gallons." Click here to read the letter.
Meanwhile, reports surfaced this week that the EPA is in the process of extending the 1 psi RVP waiver to allow E15 sales during the summer months. President Trump confirmed those reports yesterday which indicated that the EPA is likely to grant the waiver sometime soon. The ethanol industry claims that EPA has the authority to extend the waiver to E15, however, the Clean Air Act clearly limits the one psi RVP waiver to ethanol blends between 9 and 10 percent and current EPA regulations reflect the CAA RVP waiver limit. In order for the 1 psi waiver to be extended to higher ethanol blends, Congress would need to address it.
PMAA continues to be concerned that small business petroleum marketers will be placed in a precarious situation if E15 starts to take hold because of the potential economic impacts of adding E15 including the costs associated with existing UST system incompatibility.
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GLW Scholarship Golf Outing
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June 14- York, NE
Come network with members of the industry and raise money for the George L. Watters Memorial Scholarship Golf Outing 11:30 Lunch 12:00pm Shot Gun Start Dinner to follow
Beverages on the Course & Dinner Sponsor:
Shrimp & 2 Hole Sponsor: 19th Hole Sponsor:
Lunch Co-Sponsor:
Hole Sponsors:
Bosselman Energy, Cenex, Cubby's, Federated Insurance,
Flint Hills Resources, Growmark, Hartland Fuels, LSI,
Midwest Pump & Equipment, Phillips 66, Shell Oil, Sinclair Oil, Western Oil
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Midwestern Senators Strike Back on RFS
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Recently, the Trump Administration used its waiver authority under the RFS to exempt several small refiners from their renewable volume obligations (RVOs) which in turn has dampened ethanol RIN values. The EPA has the authority to grant exemptions from the program to refineries with a capacity under 75,000 barrels per day if the company can demonstrate financial hardship. Twenty-five exemptions have already been granted this year with possibly more to come.
In response, five Senators fired off a letter to the EPA Administration on April 9 urging the EPA to halt the exemptions because it undermined the intent of the RFS. The letter stated, "The granting of waivers for 2016 RVOs have effectively reduced the 2016 requirement of 15 billion gallons to 13.8 billion gallons." Click here to read the letter.
Additionally, last week, 13 Midwestern senators called on EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to stop granting small refiners exemptions from their RFS obligations, stating that the waivers could severely hurt the market for biofuels for years to come. In addition the Senators called for transparency in the waiver process and told EPA to notify Congress in two weeks with the list of refineries that have been granted waivers, the reasons for granting the waivers, and to commit to granting waivers only during the annual RVO rulemaking process. Click here to read the letter.
PMAA continues to be concerned that small business petroleum marketers will be placed in a precarious situation if E15 starts to take hold because of the potential economic impacts of adding E15 including the costs associated with existing UST system incompatibility.
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FMCSA Grants Fuel Haulers 30-Minute Rest Break Exemption
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Credit: NATSO
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration granted truck drivers hauling petroleum products a five-year exemption from the 30-minute rest break requirement.
Effective April 9, under certain conditions, fuel haulers can operate for 12 hours without triggering the rest break requirement. Federal regulations typically require a 30-minute rest break for drivers after they reach eight consecutive hours.
FMCSA said it granted the expemption, which is in effect until April 10, 2023, because fuel haulers "receive several short breaks each day when they unload."
The National Tank Truck Carriers (NTTC) and the Trucking Association of Massachusetts (TAM) in 2017 applied for the exemption for drivers who would be on-duty more than 12 hours provided their vehicles were carrying petroleum products and were equipped with an electronic logging device (ELD).
FMCSA said it found that the level of safety achieved by the industry operating under the terms and conditions of the exemption would be equal to, or greater than, the level of safety that would be achieved if the drivers were required to take the rest break. "These drivers receive several short 'breaks'' each day when they unload product at service stations," FMCSA wrote.
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On Wednesday the Farm bill, H.R. 2, was passed along party lines by the House Agriculture Committee after hours of Democratic resistance about changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Now Chairman Mike Conaway (R-TX) must sell the plan to his conference, where some want greater reforms of the program. But House Speaker Paul Ryan considers the bill reforms part of his welfare overhaul goals and he applauded the effort to modernize SNAP.
H.R. 2 would require 20 hours of work training a week for SNAP recipients ages 18 through 59 deemed "work capable" adults. Seniors, disabled, those caring for children younger than six, or those who are pregnant would be excluded. After 2025, the required work training hours would increase to 25. The bill would also direct USDA to create a Duplicative Enrollment Database to prevent participants from receiving SNAP benefits in multiple states. Furthermore, the bill requires retailers accepting SNAP to report the SNAP items sold to the USDA and requires both the SNAP recipients and the SNAP retailers to remain anonymous. Lastly, the bill would place a ban on SNAP processing fees related to the routing of electronic benefits transfer (EBT) purchases.
CBO estimated the new work provisions would reduce spending by $1.54 billion over 10 years; the eligibility changes would reduce spending by $5.04 billion; and another $5.25 billion in reduced spending would come from limiting an automatic increase in SNAP benefits based on payments under the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
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