Snowy Adventure to Game Creek, Tuesday, January 24, 6:00 – 10:00 p.m. (Call 703-709-7000 or visit: exchange .sigma.org and click on EVENTS tab.)

Sponsored by Armor Safe Technologies, TelventDTN, and Anheuser-Busch

Layer up and prepare for a snowy adventure to get to the top of the mountain! We will take a short ride up the Eagle Bahn Gondola to Eagle’s Nest, where a Snowcat shuttle will take you to the warm and cozy European-style chalet that is Game Creek. The entire club has been reserved for SIGMA ! Enjoy some of the most spectacular views of the Vail Valley during the cocktail reception in front of the roaring fire, followed by a dinner inspired by contemporary regional American cuisine, with an emphasis on fresh Colorado ingredients.

Please read this important memo on the Alcohol Fuel Mixture Credit. You can view on www.sigma.org.

SIGMA Counsel Steptoe and Johnson is hosting a free webinar on the NLRB’s Mandatory Notice Posting Rule. Details of the webinar are below.

Topic: New NLRB Union Election Rules and Posting Requirement: What You Need To Know
Date: Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Time: 2:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (New York, GMT-05:00)
Event number: 669 373 463

1) Go to https://steptoe.webex.com/steptoe/onstage/g.php?d=669373463&t=a
    
Please note: We recommend logging in a few minutes early as the WebEx software can take a few minutes to load.
2) Enter your name and e-mail address.

3) Enter the event password: steptoe (case sensitive)

4) Click “Join”

5) The audio portion of the presentation will be heard through your computer speakers. If you are unable to hear the audio, you can dial into the teleconference using your phone.

Call-in toll-free number (US/Canada): 1-877-668-4490
Global call-in numbers: https://steptoe.webex.com/steptoe/globalcallin.php?serviceType=EC&ED=101297007&tollFree=1
Toll-free dialing restrictions: http://www.webex.com/pdf/tollfree_restrictions.pdf
Access code: 669 373 463

 As the year draws to a close, it is becoming increasingly likely that the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC), scheduled to expire on December 31, 2011, will not be renewed. Under current law, a 45-cent per gallon blenders’ credit is available for the use of ethanol. Once the VEETC expires at the end of the year, this 45-cent credit will no longer be available. Importantly, this will not lead to a change in the excise tax rate, but rather a change in a taxpayer’s ability to receive an excise tax credit for blending ethanol. Unless it is renewed, blenders will not be entitled to the VEETC for any ethanol blended in 2012. Accordingly, SIGMA members are advised to create and retain records verifying that all ethanol for which they claim the blenders’ credit was in fact blended before January 1, 2012.

SIGMA Counsel Steptoe & Johnson has prepared a memorandum regarding EPA’s survey requirements for fuel outlets that sell E15.  The survey requirements are part of EPA efforts to mitigate misfueling at retail outlets.  Under recent EPA regulations, any gasoline producer/importer, ethanol producer/importer, and/or oxygenate blender that is involved in making, distributing, and/or selling E15 is responsible for conducting an ongoing survey of the implementation of the labeling, ethanol content, and Reid Vapor Pressure requirements for E15.  The surveys will generally involve cost-sharing arrangements among obligated parties.  Failure to meet the survey obligations can result in penalties of up to $25,000 per day. Read the full memorandum.  If you have any questions, contact Tim Columbus at 202.429.6222.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced November 17^th that organizations that are participating in the voluntary classification settlement program (VCSP) to reclassify their workers as employees rather than independent contractors must satisfy 1099 filing requirements in order to be eligible, but the IRS will view 1099s filed within six months of their due date as acceptable for purposes of the VCSP.  According to the IRS, VCSP participants will be judged by the agency to have “timely filed” their Form 1099s, provided they do so within the six-month window. Under the VCSP, organizations agree to prospectively reclassify affected workers as employees and pay a small tax liability.  In exchange for participation in the program, the IRS imposes no interest or penalties and does not subject the participating organization to employment tax audits on worker classification for prior years