Fuel Oil News

Fuel Oil News - December 2016

The home heating oil industry has a long and proud history, and Fuel Oil News has been there supporting it since 1935. It is an industry that has faced many challenges during that time. In its 77th year, Fuel Oil News is doing more than just holding

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22 DECEMBER 2016 | FUEL OIL NEWS | www.fueloilnews.com BUSINESS OPERATIONS NEWS FUEL SERVICES TO SELL B5 ULTRACLEAN Fuel Services, South Hadley, Mass., is marketing a new product, B5 UltraClean, the company announced. The fuel is a blend of ultra-low sulfur fuel oil, biodiesel, and UltraGuard Advanced Fuel Treatment. In 2018, Massachusetts will mandate ultra-low sulfur heating oil, the company noted. UltraGuard Advanced Fuel Treatment is manufactured by Fuel Management Services, Toms River, N.J. Fuel Services said the new fuel provides many benefits, including reduced dependency on foreign oil. It also will provide a cleaner and more efficient resource for Western Massachusetts residents, lower- ing toxic emissions, nitrous oxide, and greenhouse gas emissions, and providing cleaner air for the region, the company said, all the while giving customers cost savings and heating equipment benefits. "Most of my adult life I have been in the fuel industry," said Steve Chase, president and CEO of Fuel Services. "There are two parts of this industry I enjoy the most. The first is knowing my family, including my son, my daughter, my son-in-law, and my grandson, and I are able to take care of other families with the high standards and service I believe in. The second is being in an industry that is constantly progressing. I am proud that Fuel Services continues to evolve and in particular that we are able to be first to share this new, and important, product with Western Massachusetts." Fuel Services, Inc., South Hadley, Mass., a family-run company that has been in business for more than 25 years, offers home heating oil and propane delivery, heating service, air conditioning service, and plumbing service. PMAA SIGNS LETTER SUPPORTING PHASE-IN OF OVERTIME RULE, BUT STILL CALLS FOR ITS REPEAL PMAA joined others in supporting U.S. Senate legislation that would phase in a new overtime salary threshold over a five-year period, while saying at the same time that it continues to push for "full repeal of the overtime rule." PMAA says it signed a let- ter by the Partnership to Protect Workplace Opportunity (PPWO) to Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), supporting Lamar's legislation, S. 3464, known as the "Overtime Reform and Review Act." The bill would prohibit an increase to the exempt salary thresh- old in 2017, giving employers an opportunity to adjust to the new level while the Government Accountability Office studies the impact of the rule in its first year of implementation, the Petroleum Marketers Association of America reports in its Oct. 14 PMAA Weekly Review. "Although PMAA is vigorously pushing for a full repeal of the overtime rule, this legislation would help lessen the adverse impact of the new rules on businesses," reports the weekly. "PMAA con- tinues to push for a fix to the overtime rule and supports legislation that would do so. Regrettably, President Obama has threatened to veto legislation that would make changes to the rule, including changes to the December 1, 2016 implementation date. Therefore, we urge members to prepare for implementation of the rule as it is currently scheduled." The letter reads, in part: "While a responsible increase to the salary threshold is due, the DOL's drastic increase of more than 100 percent to the salary threshold is too much, too fast, and will have a disproportionate impact on a wide variety of industries, sectors, and geographic areas of the country. Equally problematic is that the final rule allows for the salary threshold to be automatically updated every three years, irrespective of economic conditions and without the input of impacted stakeholders. As a result, small and large businesses, nonprofits, local governments, and academic institutions have all made clear the severe problems the final overtime rule will have on their organizations, employees, students, and communities and clients served. "Given the widespread challenges this regulation will impose on employers and their employees, the PPWO welcomes the introduction of S. 3464. This reasonable legislation would phase-in the DOL's new salary threshold in four stages over five years, start- ing with a substantial salary threshold increase to approximately $36,000 on December 1, 2016, followed by a "pause year" in 2017 to allow employers to review and adjust for the consequences of this new rule. Further increases to the salary level would occur annually thereafter, until reaching the final rule's new threshold of $47,476 on December 1, 2020. Equally important is that the bill prohibits the final rule's automatic increases to the salary threshold, yet allows the DOL to propose changes to overtime regulations in the future through the customary notice and comment process. "In addition, S. 3464 recognizes the impact the new regulation will have on the most vulnerable employers. The bill specifies that increases after 2016 will not go into effect for nonprofits, From left: Massachusetts state representatives John Velis (D-Westfield) and John Scibak (D-South Hadley); South Hadley Selectman Bruce Forcier; Steve Chase, CEO and president of Fuel Services, Josh Nolan, vice president of sales and marketing of Fuel Services; and Christopher Chase, executive vice president of Fuel Services. PHOTO COURTESY OF FUEL SERVICES

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