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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Board Member Election,
In accordance with the by-laws of the Association a Nominating Committee was formed and they bring forth the nominees that have been placed on the ballot below, for the 2017 election, to the NPCA Board of Directors. All positions for the Board shall be filled by the nominating committee and voted on by the active members of the association. Each member shall serve until their replacement is selected.
The by-laws state, "The affairs of this Corporation shall be managed by a Board of not less than 12 nor more than eighteen directors, two-thirds of whom are required to be residents of the State of Nebraska.
Currently there are twelve members serving on the Board and with those listed successfully being elected we will have fifteen, leaving room for three more members. Thus, if you would like to nominate yourself or someone else to help fill the Board to eighteen members contact
Tim Keigher.
2017 NPCA BOARD BALLOT
- Craig Freeburg, Mentzer Oil Co., North Platte
_______________________________________ Write in candidate
- Tommy Hergert, Hergert Oil Co., Lincoln
_______________________________________ Write in candidate
- Jennifer Likes, Harms Oil., Omaha
_______________________________________ Write in candidate
PLEASE EMAIL (katie@npcainc.com) or mail BACK TO NPCA AT THE ADDRESS LISTED ABOVE, NO LATER THAN Friday, September 1, 2017.
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Early in July, the EPA released a proposed rulemaking to implement the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The EPA's proposed rule mandates that refiners blend 15 billion gallons of corn ethanol into gasoline for 2018 which has increased the RIN values and have placed petroleum marketer in a precarious situation. As the blending obligations of the RFS have increased and gasoline consumption has decreased, PMAA is concerned "ethanol blend wall," wherein, if every gallon of gasoline in the nation was blended with 10 percent ethanol, we could not meet the RFS goals.
PMAA believes the best path forward to fix the inflated RIN problem is to immediately set the ethanol mandate at 9.7 percent of projected gasoline demand as determined by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Reducing the ethanol mandate may likely prevent obligated parties from turning to large scale introduction of E15 blends nationwide to shore up sagging margins. This would amount to a de facto E15 mandate and set off a chain of events, resulting in a significant disruption of the nation's gasoline distribution and supply chain and skyrocketing prices at the pump.
Click here to send comments to the EPA in support of reducing the corn ethanol mandate. PMAA has provided a template that can be found here.
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Hurricane Harvey - PMAA Stands Ready to Help
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With Hurricane Harvey approaching Texas and Louisiana as the largest hurricane to hit the U.S. in 12 years, PMAA reminds you that we are available to help with federal and national communications and requests. We also wish to remind you of the national Energy Waiver Library, a helpful resource produced by the Department of Energy (DOE) with PMAA's support. The Energy Waiver Library consolidates resources from across the Federal Government to create a central location for common waivers and special permits used for energy response (RVP, RFG, HOS, Jones Act, IRS, FMCSA and PHMSA waivers). DOE has consolidated and verified resources and includes background on the waiver or special permit, historical examples of past use, links to previously issued waivers, and an appropriate point of contact to request such waivers should the need arise.
In addition, the site has links to national policies of significance such as the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.
This information is intended to assist the sector, as well as state, local, tribal and territorial partners to identify appropriate federal regulatory assistance during disasters.
The library can be found at https://energy.gov/oe/energy-waiver-library.
PMAA is participating in federal government and affected industry calls regarding preparation and response to Hurricane Harvey, and we are prepared to join the Department of Energy's National Command Center should that become operational.
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PMAA Fighting Regulations that Would Harm Family Businesses
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As we have reported in the past, President Trump issued Executive Order 13789 (Identifying and Reducing Tax Regulatory Burdens) which was designed to reduce burdensome tax regulations. Earlier this month, PMAA along with other members of the Family Business Estate Tax Coalition (FBETC) submitted a letter to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regarding implementation of President Trump's Executive Order. The Executive Order calls for the Secretary of the Treasury to implement review of all significant tax regulations issued on or after January 1, 2016 that "impose an undue financial burden on United States taxpayers; add undue complexity to the Federal tax laws; or exceed the statutory authority of the IRS."
In response to the Executive Order, the Treasury Department identified eight sets of regulations for review and asked the public to comment on how these regulations should be fixed. Pursuant to the requests of PMAA and the Small Business Legislative Council (SBLC), IRS identified the proposed regulations under Section 2704(b) of the Internal Revenue Code for consideration. Section 2704(b) would minimize the number of estates that would be eligible for valuation discounts and avoidance of double taxation via the estate, gift or transfer taxes.
PMAA has opposed the regulations since their introduction because it is fundamentally unfair to single out family-owned small businesses for worse treatment under the tax laws than non-family-owned businesses. PMAA and the SBLC believe that the proposed regulations should simply be withdrawn and not replaced.
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Commerce Department Rules in Favor of U.S. Biodiesel Producers
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Earlier this week, the U.S. Commerce Department announced that Argentina and Indonesia have been unfairly subsidizing biodiesel they export to the U.S. The Commerce Department found that Argentina and Indonesia provide subsidies to their biodiesel producers in violation of international trade rules. Additionally, the Commerce Department found "critical circumstances", meaning retroactive duties will be enforced going back to May 2017.
As a result of the ruling, importers of Argentinian and Indonesian biodiesel will be forced to pay cash deposits on biodiesel imported from the two countries. The cash deposit rates range from 50.29 percent to 64.17 percent for biodiesel from Argentina, and 41.06 percent to 68.28 percent for biodiesel from Indonesia. The cash deposit requirements will be imposed when the preliminary determination is published in the Federal Register sometime next week. Also, based on the "critical circumstances" finding, the rates for Argentina will apply retroactively 90 days from the date of the Federal Register notice.
The investigation was in response to a complaint filed by the biodiesel industry in the U.S. The biodiesel industry representatives testified to the International Trade Commission a few months ago, saying biodiesel produced in Argentina and Indonesia has been flooding the U.S. market since 2014. The industry has claimed that the subsidized biodiesel from Argentina and Indonesia has forced U.S. producers out of their home market.
The Argentinian biodiesel industry claims that the duties will halt Argentinian biodiesel exports to the U.S. Argentinian biodiesel currently accounts for two-thirds of the U.S.'s biodiesel imports. PMAA is concerned that the duties on biodiesel will likely force fuel prices to rise because the U.S. must satisfy the biodiesel quota under the RFS and will have to find a way to replace nearly 250 million gallons of biodiesel per year.
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Compared to the 216 regulatory actions taken in the first six months of the Obama administration, there have only been 67 actions under the current administration. Data on regulatory actions which are notices, proposals, interim rules and final rules, are compiled by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), which is part of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which is an agency within the Executive Office of the President. In addition to reviewing government collections of information, OIRA reviews draft proposed and final regulations, and develops and oversees the implementation of government-wide policies in the areas of information policy, privacy, and statistical policy.
PMAA is pleased that Congress was able to overturn regulations using the Congressional Review Act, and now agencies must deregulate 860 proposed regulatory actions that were withdrawn or removed from active status. Deregulating is a lengthy process where rules must go through the Administrative Procedure Act process. A huge barrier at this point is many political appointee positions at the agencies have not been confirmed by the Senate.
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WV OMEGA Appoints Traci Nelson President
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The West Virginia Oil Marketers & Grocers Association (OMEGA), the trade association which represents the state's convenience stores, independent grocers and petroleum marketers, has appointed Traci Nelson president of the organization, representatives announced.
"Given her more than 20 years of experience working with OMEGA and its membership, there is no one more qualified to lead the organization than Traci," said OMEGA Chairman Joe DeFazio. She knows our issues, understands trade association management and for those reasons, was a unanimous choice to lead us into the future."
Nelson said, "I'm humbled by the faith and trust of the OMEGA Board in giving me this opportunity. There was no greater mentor than Jan Vineyard, who led the organization so capably for the past two decades. She set a high bar and I plan to do my best to live up to it in terms of advocating for our issues and serving our membership."
Nelson has worked for OMEGA since 1995 and has held the role of Member Services Coordinator since 2006, when OMEGA took over management of the West Virginia Trucking Association (WVTA). OMEGA took over management of the West Virginia Wholesalers Association (WVWA) in 2013 and the Independent Insurance Agents of West Virginia (IIAWV) in 2014.
As president of OMEGA, Nelson also manages the day-to-day operations of the WVTA, the WVWA and the IIAWV. Nelson is also serving her third term as president of the West Virginia Society of Association Executives (WVSAE).
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NACS has held an annual meeting every year since its founding in 1961, but it wasn't until 1976 that the meeting included a full-scale expo, which was part of the meeting every two or three years. The addition of the expo demonstrated to suppliers that convenience stores were the channel of choice to move products. In 1993, the annual meeting became the NACS Show. The Petroleum Marketers Association of America (PMAA) has held its Fall Meeting as part of the NACS Show since in 1995 and the Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI) has held its annual meeting as part of the NACS Show since in 2002.
As convenience and fuel retailing's premier industry event, the NACS Show attracts more than 23,500 industry stakeholders from around the world. The NACS Show is about networking and connecting with industry peers and experts facing the same challenges as you and solving them together. In 2016, attendees came from all 50 U.S. states and 67 foreign countries.
The Opening General Session will take place on Tuesday, October 17 from 3:45 pm - 5:00 pm and the Closing General Session will take place on Friday, October 20 from 8:00 am - 9:00 am at the McCormick Place. Speaker information will be announced soon.
In addition to online registration and housing, the NACS Show website features the latest information about exhibitors, housing, speakers, educational sessions and networking events. Please note that the NACS Show registration is separate from the PMAA Meeting Registration.
PMAA's Fall Meeting will be held on October 16-17 at the Hilton Chicago. Please view all conference information here.
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Federated's Risk Management Corner: Cybersecurity and Small Business
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It's nearly impossible these days for businesses to operate without the help of Internet-connected devices, which exposes them to cybercrime. It's the small- to medium-sized businesses, however, that are especially vulnerable: half are victims of cybercrime and nearly two-thirds of those victims go out of business.
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Hackers increasingly target small businesses because there is a low risk they will be caught and a high probability they will be successful.
Maintaining personally identifying information (PII) on a computer connected to the Internet creates a nearly unavoidable risk. More than likely, names, addresses, and employees' employment information are stored. If PII is acquired by someone without the authority to do so, in most states that is a security breach (data breach).
Please click here to read the article in its entirety. For additional information or to discuss further, please contact your Federated regional representative or PMAA's National Account Executive Jerry Leemkuil at 800.533.0472.
Federated is a PMAA Corporate Platinum Partner.
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"
The Impact of Cybercrime on Small Business," Course 10, Tutorial 1, Quoting Dr. Jane LeClair, Chief Operating Officer National Cybersecurity Institute. Online at
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PMAA Corporate Platinum Partner Spotlight Featuring: Renewable Energy Group, Inc.
One Decision Can Make 2017 Your Best Year Yet
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We're almost three-quarters of the way through 2017. Is your business on track to meet its goals?
We would like for you to meet an Illinois fuel marketer who says one smart decision has been the key to his company's growth. Broadus Oil Corporation offered "biodiesel before biodiesel was cool." Owner Steve Broadus says it's given his family's wholesale fuel business a huge competitive advantage.
Read a fascinating case study about Broadus Oil's business success and learn how biodiesel can help you turn a good year into a great year.
For additional information about Renewable Energy Group, Inc., please visit or contact Jon Scharingson.
Renewable Energy Group is a PMAA Corporate Platinum Partner.
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Thank You to NPCA's Partners
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Nebraska Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association | (402) 474-6691 |
www.npcainc.com |
1320 Lincoln Mall, Suite 100B
Lincoln, NE 68508
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