Quick Links to Articles for August 7, 2020

New 2020 Edition of DOT ERG Requires Update of In-Cab Emergency Response Information

COVID-19 Relief Talks Collapse

Urge Congress to Include Reasonable Liability Protections in Next COVID-19 Relief Package

PMAA Sends Trio of Letters to Congress in Support of Businesses

GM to Install 2,700 New EV Chargers in 40 U.S. Cities Over the Next Five Years

Study Finds Average Age of American Cars Nearly 12 Years Old 

Federated Insurance Risk Management Academy Webinar

PMAA Corporate Platinum Partner Spotlight Featuring: Renewable Energy Group, Inc.

Federated Insurance Response to Coronavirus 

PMAA mourns the loss of Jon Dean Ware, 84, of Jacksonville, on July 31, 2020 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Jon was born on November 14, 1935 in Springfield, the son of Claude (CR) and Dorothy Ware. He married June Lamar Armstrong on Aug. 12, 1956 in Tuscola. 

Jon was a graduate of Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, where he was a member of the Panther Club, lettering in football, baseball and track. He had a varied career, teaching school at Daytona Beach, Fla., then working for Wareco, a family business of convenience stores, begun in 1930 by his father.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, June; daughter, Melissa Jane; brother, William Ware; and former daughter-in-law, Mia Ware.

He is survived by two sons, William Bradley (Charlyn) Ware and Todd (Matt) Ware, grandson Jayden Ware and granddaughter, Kate (David) Cryder and great grandson, John David Cryder, several nieces and nephews and brother, Dick Ware.

Jon was past president of the Illinois Petroleum Marketers Association (1986-1988) and past president of the Petroleum Marketers Association of America in 1998 where he received the Distinguished Service Award for PMAA, the organization’s highest honor for extraordinary and significant service in 2001. He also was chairman of the Jacksonville Airport Authority, Board of Trustees for Illinois College, past president of the Jacksonville YMCA, board member of the State Farm Classic, sponsor Ducks Unlimited, member Noble Ansar Temple of Springfield, member Jacksonville Harmony Lodge #3, and member of First Presbyterian Church.

He loved helping children develop in sports and founded the Jacksonville Area Youth Football League. He was an avid pilot, golfer, hunter, loved to work in the yard and to play the piano.

A private family service will be held followed by a Celebration of Life at a later date. Burial will be at Woodwreath Cemetery near New Berlin. Memorial contributions may be made to Woodwreath Cemetery Association, P.O. Box 23, New Berlin, IL 62670, or the Illinois College Athletic Foundation, 1101 W. College Ave., Jacksonville, IL 62650.

Every four years, the U.S. DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA) publishes an updated version of its Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) required for use by CDL drivers hauling hazardous materials. The latest version of the emergency response guide, ERG 2020 is now available. ERG 2020 updates and replaces the ERG 2016 edition now currently in use by petroleum marketers. The ERG guidebook is intended for use by first responders during the initial phase of a transportation incident involving hazardous materials. 

Click here to view the full PMAA Regulatory Alert. 

This week, the White House and Congressional Democrats were unable to reach a deal on a COVID-19 relief package as both sides accused the other of being unwilling to compromise. The GOP rank and file are unenthusiastic over the prospect of another trillion-dollar spending package while GOP moderates up for reelection need a COVID-19 deal to increase their chances for reelection. Most Senators left town last night, however, they will return if a deal is reached between the White House and Democratic leadership. Click here to read Squire Patton Boggs analysis andhere from the Washington Post.

PMAA urges you to reach out to Senators in support of important legislation to expand liability protections for businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic known as the “Safe to Work Act” (S. 4317). The bill is retroactive to December 2019 and provides reasonable liability protection against COVID-19 lawsuits through October 2024 for businesses who have made good faith efforts to comply with government guidance. The legislation does not protect bad actors in cases where there is willful misconduct or gross negligence to the safety of an individual. The legislation provides preemption from state laws unless state laws provide greater liability protection. Click here for the full summary. 

It is important for everyone to reach out to their lawmakers in support of the bill. Click here to do so.

This week, PMAA joined a coalition in sending a letter to Congress in support of the “Continuing Small Business Recovery and Paycheck Protection Program (CSBRPPP) Act,” which would offer a second round of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to qualifying small businesses. Specifically, the letter urges Congress to lower the gross revenue reduction requirement under the PPP from 50 percent to 20 percent if there is going to be a second round of PPP loans. Click here to view the letter. 

Additionally, PMAA sent a letter to Congress urging that it restore tax-free loan forgiveness under the PPP to be tax-free. The letter requests that Congress reaffirm its original intent and restore the tax benefits it intended to give struggling businesses as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.” Click here to view the letter. 

Lastly, PMAA sent a letter asking that Congress provide a “healthy workplace” tax credit in the upcoming COVID-19 relief bill that will protect the safety of workers, customers and the public. Specifically, the tax credit would cover business expenses related to the COVID-19 response effort that include the purchase of personal protection equipment (PPE), cleaning supplies and technology used to trace physical contact between customers and employees. Click here to view the letter.

GM is planning to team up with public electric vehicle (EV) charging network EVgo to provide 40 cities throughout the United States with 2,700 EV chargers over the next 5 years. GM says the move targets drivers in cities who cannot install chargers because they live in apartments or condos or and drivers who are unable to charge their EVs at work. GM is also trying to establish itself as a large provider of EV’s in the marketplace, hoping to catch up to Tesla. Click here to view an article from Reuters.

According to a recent study by HIS Markit, a leading data and information service business specializing in car data, the average age of U.S. vehicles on the road is 11.9 years old, a one month increase from 2019. Experts say the high number is due to a combination of things: lower car sales due to the pandemic; the durability of cars and an increase in the costs of cars. IHS Markit believes the age of cars will continue to rise over the next few years. Click here to view an article from Car & Driver. 

Hardly a day goes by that we don’t hear about a security breach or incident involving the loss of sensitive data to outside influence or hackers. We will discuss several layers of risk management that help reduce a business’s exposure, as well as coverage options available to transfer this risk to an insurance carrier. Cybercrime is the fastest growing and most dynamic exposure in business today and we’ll address strategies to minimize the risk. 

What you will learn: 

• Data breach and cybercrime trends, statistics and costs

• Business responsibility pertaining to data breaches and cyber intrusions

• Common data security concerns

• Risk management best practices and insurance solutions

Advanced registration is required for this 45-minute webinar.

For additional information or to discuss this in further detail, please contact your Federated regional representative or PMAA’s National Account Executive Jon Medo at 800.533.0472. Federated is a PMAA Corporate Platinum Partner. 

Last month, REG presented a webinar along with the folks at Transport Topics, a publication that provides the latest news and information specific to the transportation industry. While the publication focuses primarily on freight transportation, and the webinar mainly on biodiesel’s benefits as a transportation fuel, many of its key takeaways also apply to heating fuel dealers. Here are some highlights:

Among biodiesel’s many benefits is enhanced lubricity. Bioheat® blends of B2 or higher require no additional lubricity additives, which makes REG biodiesel an ideal solution for companies who’ve encountered equipment issues due to the transition to ultra-low sulfur heating oil. 

“When we as a society are able to move forward from the current COVID-19 crisis, there are going to be numerous after-action reviews,” said Steve Klein, Senior Manager, Marketing, during the webinar. “Consumers will have new expectations for air quality.” This is something Let’s Blend has covered in detail over the past few issues; in the face of changing consumer expectations, biodiesel blended Bioheat® fuel allows heating fuel dealers to provide their customers with reliable, affordable clean-energy solutions.

As the heating oil industry aims to reduce its emissions 40 percent by 2030 under the Providence Resolution, REG is ready to help move fuel forward. Sign up here to watch the free webinar and find out more about biodiesel’s potential for your business.

For additional information about Renewable Energy Group, Inc., please visit or contact Scott Nemec. Renewable Energy Group is a PMAA Corporate Platinum Partner. 

Federated Insurance is committed to helping you as our nation unites to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Here is a link to many valuable resources designed to inform and support your members during these uncertain times. Because this page is not available on our public site, you may want to save it in your browser for future reference as it will be updated regularly when additional resources become available.

Federated’s valued policyholders have these and additional resources available to them atFederated’s Shield Network or by contacting our Risk Management Resource Center at 1-888-333-4949. For additional information or to discuss this in further detail, please contact your Federated regional representative or PMAA’s National Account Executive Jon Medo at 800.533.0472. Federated is a PMAA Corporate Platinum Partner.