Oil Prophets

Winter 2016

Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/626797

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 31 of 43

32 Oil Prophets There's a new beginning at PMAA! As your new President, I look forward to working with you to ensure that petroleum marketers continue to be well represented in our Nation's Capital. Just a little background on me: I am a native of Georgia and earned a BA degree in Political Science from the University of Georgia. As a huge Georgia Bulldawgs fan, I enjoy traveling to Athens, Georgia in the fall for a college football game. I also enjoy playing a round of golf with friends on the weekends. I have been with PMAA since July 2007 as its Director of Government Relations. Prior to joining PMAA, I worked for U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA). Given my understanding of the challenges the association faces in today's environment, I felt that applying for the PMAA President's position was an opportunity of a lifetime. And I'm glad I did it! Now, getting back to business – DEFENDING marketers' business interests on the legislative and regulatory front is the core of PMAA's mission. While the Obama Administration continues to propose onerous rules and regulations on the petroleum industry, PMAA takes pride in what we've accomplished in 2015. PMAA has been instrumental in delaying and/or killing several of these initiatives and the fight will continue into 2016. With a new Republican majority in the Senate, it has made it easier to work with the Republican controlled House, and therefore, allowing the legislative process to move efficiently. Congress has been able to pass comprehensive bills instead of just naming post offices. Recently, Congress passed and the President signed into law a $305 billion five year Highway reauthorization bill which contains several goodies for petroleum marketers. One provision in the highway bill included PMAA supported language that prevents the Dept. of Transportation (DOT) from moving forward with a mandated increase on minimum insurance requirements petroleum marketers must hold until a thorough study is completed by DOT. The highway bill also effectively killed the ongoing wetlines proposed mandate at DOT which saved marketers $120 million. Additional savings in 2015 included PMAA's fight to lower UST compliance costs in the final rule EPA released in the summer. Overall, PMAA saved petroleum marketers $970 million on the UST final rule. PMAA was successful in achieving three of its primary goals aimed at reducing compliance costs imposed by the rule. First, PMAA convinced the EPA to drop regularly scheduled testing of the interstitial spaces of UST secondary containment equipment. PMAA's second goal of delaying implementation of testing and inspection requirements was also successful. PMAA was able to delay these requirements for three years instead of the EPA's proposed 90 day implementation schedule. PMAA also met its third primary goal to reduce the frequency of sump inspections from 30 days to once per year. PMAA achieved many additional cost reductions as well. PMAA's effort on behalf of tank owners was unparalleled in the industry. While I will not list all of them, there are at least 5 major issues on the horizon in 2016. PMAA continues to work for additional UST compliance savings through the Petroleum Equipment Institute's (PEI) RP 1200 Committee, supporting menu labeling legislation to provide flexibility to retailers to comply with the Obamacare and opposing a DOT placarding rule that will be a headache to jobbers, just to name a few. Because most of these are important to your business, I hope you will help us fight back. One way you can directly help is by making a corporate contribution to the PMAA Marketer Defense Fund (MDF). This fund is a "war chest" of sorts that can be used to do research, hire experts, lawyers and other specialists to challenge government misinformation. This year, we've used the MDF fund to send marketers to an ASTM meeting on diesel fuel cleanliness as well as to meet with the EPA regarding our UST compatibility concerns with higher ethanol blends. You can now seamlessly donate online to the PMAA MDF at the top of PMAA's shiny new website at www. pmaa.org. Click on the link Donate to PMAA's Marketer Defense Fund (MDF) to make a contribution. Also, like us on Facebook and Twitter where the links are provided at the top of the www.pmaa.org homepage. These are just some of the new improvements at PMAA and I hope that you check them out! New Beginning at PMAA

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Oil Prophets - Winter 2016