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| April 20, 2018 [WR-18-16] |
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Sponsored by BP Products
who generously supports PMAA’s work in our Nation’s Capital. |
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| Quick Links to Articles for April 20, 2018 |
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Midwestern Senators Strike Back on RFS
SNAP Changes in Farm Bill
Electric Vehicles Are Handouts to the Higher Income Brackets
Reminder that the New Menu Labeling Requirements are Effective May 7th
VERY IMPORTANT: Worldpay Urgent Alert: SSL 3 and TLS 1.0 Decommissioning Effective May 1, 2018
Federated Insurance: Opportunities after the New "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act"
Urgent: Voluntary Product Recall of Vuse Vibe Power Units
PMAA Corporate Platinum Partner Spotlight Featuring: Renewable Energy Group, Inc.
Please Take the Time Now to Register and Reserve Your Rooms for PMAA’s Washington Conference and Day on the Hill
The Latest Item – Garmin’s Approach X40 Smartwatch |
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| Articles for April 20, 2018 |
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Midwestern Senators Strike Back on RFS
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.
SNAP Changes in Farm Bill
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).
Electric Vehicles Are Handouts to the Higher Income Brackets
The federal government has provided subsidies of up to $7,500 for electric vehicles. Additionally, many states provide free charging, parking and access to HOV lanes for them. However, these subsidies are catering to the wealthiest of Americans.
A report from 2015 found that owners of Tesla vehicles earn an average of $320,000 per year, more than 500% of the median American household income of $59,039 in 2016. A 2015 National Bureau of Economic Research study found that “the top income quintile has received about 90% of all credits” for electric vehicles. A Tesla Model S costs $74,500 which is more than the yearly income of the average American household. The Washington Post recently coined the subsidies for electric vehicles as being “a Robin-Hood-in-Reverse Policy.” The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) recently estimated that federal electric vehicle subsidies will cost up to $7.5 billion through 2019, which takes away money from more important programs like education and infrastructure projects.
States like California are set to force utility companies to build costly electric vehicle charging stations funded by the customers of the utility companies, causing an increase in utility bills. The bottom line is that the wealthiest of Americans should not be receiving subsidies at the cost of lower and middle-income Americans.
Reminder that the New Menu Labeling Requirements are Effective May 7th
The menu labeling requirements will be enforced by the FDA beginning May 7, 2018. PMAA General Counsel Al Alfano released a detailed explanation of which establishments are required to comply with the menu labeling rule which will go into effect on May 7, 2018.
While retailers must comply with the new requirements, Congress must also act to fix the menu labeling regulation. The “Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act” (S. 261) by Senators Blunt (R-MO) and King (I-ME) would give retailers the flexibility they need to comply with the menu labeling regulations. In February, the House passed its version, H.R. 772. However, the Senate has yet to vote on its version, S. 261.
VERY IMPORTANT: Worldpay Urgent Alert: SSL 3 and TLS 1.0 Decommissioning Effective May 1, 2018
Please take the time to review this ALERT entirely as this information is the latest info from POS partners such as VeriFone, NCR, Pinnacle and Gilbarco. Gilbarco recently informed us that an additional patch will need to be rolled out to merchants on Passport as Gilbarco initially thought that v10.0 would meet the PCI requirement; however, that is not the case, and they have released a patch for version 11.04A. Please reach out to them to inquire about the patch.
Please be sure to get this information to the merchant or location level immediately! The other option is the location can always move to DIAL protocol. Dial is not impacted by this TLS update.
All the information you need to become compliant (if not already) is in this alert including how to reach out to the vendors. Again, this is very important so please take the time to review this alert and please let your Worldpay representative know if you have any questions at all PRIOR to APRIL 30th. If you are NOT compliant with this PCI mandate by April 30th, you will no longer be able to process transactions.
Should you have any questions, please reach out to your designated Worldpay Account Manager or PMAA’s Worldpay Executive Client Manager, Glenda Preen at 972.325.1801. Worldpay is a PMAA Corporate Silver Partner and Vendor.
Federated Insurance: Opportunities after the New "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act"
The "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act," which was passed by Congress in December, 2017, made significant changes to individual, business and estate taxes, and became effective as of January 1, 2018. While the business related provisions are considered permanent, the individual and estate tax provisions only remain in effect until December 31, 2025, when they are subject to a “sunset” and will revert back to 2017 law.
To learn how a few of the major changes could impact you and your business in the coming year, please click here. For additional information or to discuss this in further detail, 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.
Urgent: Voluntary Product Recall of Vuse Vibe Power Units
R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company has voluntarily initiated a nationwide safety recall of all Vuse Vibe power units. The Company initiated the recall after receiving consumer complaints about malfunctioning batteries, which may cause the power unit to overheat and create a fire risk. The Company notified the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding the issue and will be working directly with the Agency on this voluntary recall.
The Company has received 10 complaints related to the power unit. No injuries have been reported. The Company is voluntarily recalling the 2.6 million power units it has sold. The Company is investigating the cause of the incidents with the intent to return to the market after the issue has been resolved.
All consumers who have Vuse Vibe vapor products should stop using the product and not charge the power unit. Please call 1-800-369-8200 or visit www.vusevapor.com/viberecall for information on how to return Vuse Vibe power units and receive a refund. The Company is committed to providing products of the highest quality, and we regret the inconvenience this will cause our consumers.
Vuse Solo and Vuse Ciro, which use different battery components, are not included in this recall. No similar incidents have been reported to the Company about these products.
For additional information or to discuss this in further detail, please contact Steve Kottak at 336-741-3372. Reynolds American, Inc. Trade Marketing Services Company (RAITMS) is a PMAA Corporate Platinum Partner.
R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company is a subsidiary of RAI Innovations Company, a subsidiary of Reynolds American Inc. Reynolds American Inc. is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of British American Tobacco p.l.c. R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company markets Vuse e-cigarettes. For more information, visit www.RJRVapor.com.
PMAA Corporate Platinum Partner Spotlight Featuring: Renewable Energy Group, Inc.
Why There Is No "Best" Feedstock for Biodiesel
Some people still argue that soy biodiesel is the best. The truth, however, is that there is no “best” feedstock.
Instead, skilled producers can make high-quality biodiesel from a variety of feedstocks. This feedstock flexible approach carries many benefits for users:
- Increased predictability in pricing and availability
- Capturing the best properties of different feedstocks, improving the end product
- Helping to produce a fuel with lower carbon intensity
Learn more about feedstock flexibility and how it can be a difference-maker for marketers, fleets and retailers in this free white paper, Feedstock Flexibility —The Key to Delivering Reliable Biodiesel.
For additional information about Renewable Energy Group, Inc., please visit or contact Troy Shoen. Renewable Energy Group is a PMAA Corporate Platinum Partner.
Please Take the Time Now to Register and Reserve Your Rooms for PMAA’s Washington Conference and Day on the Hill
PMAA’s annual Washington Conference and Day on the Hill will be held in Washington, DC from May 16-18. Our industry continues to have dozens of important legislative and regulatory issues to discuss and the Day on the Hill continues to be the primary focus of this conference.
The meeting will begin with an Opening Session / Issues Briefing and Region meetings in the afternoon of May 16. Our welcome reception, including our fun and popular PAC silent auction fundraiser, concludes the day! On the morning of May 17, marketers will hear from the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman John Barrasso (R-WY), and will then head to Capitol Hill for visits with their Congressional delegations after a buffet breakfast and issues briefing for those who were not able to attend the opening session. Please make your Congressional appointments! There will be a hospitality suite and luncheon on the Hill. On the evening of May 17, we will honor our 2018 PMAA Chair Mark McBride. Our conference will conclude after the PMAA Board of Directors meet on May 18 following a buffet breakfast and committee meetings.
Please click here for our event website for all details and registration with secure event payment processing through Cvent. We are expecting terrific attendance with over 200 members who have made hotel reservations at our Headquarter Hotel, an additional half dozen on our waitlist through A Room with a View and nearly 200 members currently registered! If you plan on attending PMAA’s annual Washington Conference and Day on the Hill, now is the time to make your room reservation through A Room with a View at 800.780.4343, our free overflow hotel service, as we have been sold out of our room block at Washington Marriott at Metro Center and this will serve as our official waitlist for Washington Marriott at Metro Center. May is a very busy month here in our Nation’s Capital of Washington, DC where hotels book quickly and there are many citywide events also going on during our conference. We are expecting a record turnout and would appreciate you and your members to plan ahead: We encourage you to make room reservations immediately and complete online registration as soon as possible.
It is your chance to make a positive difference for our industry! Please make your plans now to attend this important and productive conference to meet with your members of Congress! See you in DC in the spring!
Please make your final plans to attend this important and productive forum to meet with your members of Congress and network with other marketers from across the country! We look forward to welcoming you to DC in May!
The Latest Item – Garmin’s Approach X40 Smartwatch
Get your PMAA Marketer Defense Fund (MDF) raffle tickets now for a chance to win the Garmin’s Approach X40 Smartwatch. This may be a “game changer” to help you up your game. Garmin’s Approach X40 combines daily activity tracking and heart rate data with golf data for more than 40,000 courses. The screen on the slim band shows distances for each green as well as hazards and shows a digital scorecard. AutoShot tracking measures and records shot distances for post-round analysis.
The MDF will hold a raffle during the Washington, DC May 16-18 conference and the raffle winner will be identified during the conference on May 18. The winner does not have to be present to win. If you are not attending the conference, you will be notified the week following the May drawing if you are the fortunate owner of the Garmin’s Approach X40 Smartwatch.
Click here for more information on the MDF and how to contribute.
Tickets are $25 each or five for $100. Advanced tickets are available until May 15. Ticket sales will continue at PMAA’s conference in DC until the drawing on May 18. Tickets can be purchased with personal or corporate funds by MasterCard, VISA, American Express, cash or check (checks should be made out to the PMAA Marketer Defense Fund). To purchase tickets before May 16, please contact Susan Isard or 703-351-8000. |
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