June 4, 2001

JEFFORDS SWITCH CONTINUES TO ROCK CAPITOL HILL

Senator Jim Jeffords' decision to leave the Republican Party and become an independent siding with Democrats continues to reverberate on Capitol Hill despite the fact that Congress is in the midst of a 10 day Memorial Day recess. It has been confirmed that Jeffords will assume the chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee when the Senate reconvenes on June 6th and Sen. Tom Daschle is elected majority leader. It is expected that Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) will take over the chair of EPW's Clean Air Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction on air-quality issues such as RFG, MTBE, and ethanol blends in gasoline, and that Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) will chair EPW's Superfund Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over underground storage tank legislation. More information on the new line-up of Senate legislators with jurisdiction over issues of interest to SIGMA members will become available next week.

STUDY BILL GOAL: REDUCE BOUTIQUE FUELS

Representatives Mark Green (R-WI) and Paul Ryan R-WI have introduced legislation in the House, H.R. 2017, which would require EPA to report back to Congress four months after enactment on the feasibility of reducing the number of gasoline blends in the Midwest and other parts of the country. The bill, which was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, would require EPA to study whether creating more uniformity among gasoline blends could ease supply problems and bring down prices. EPA's recommendations also would address issues such as meeting air quality requirements and the use of ethanol in the Midwest.

SENATE TO INVESTIGATE MERGERS, PRICE GOUGING

Senator Carl Levin (D-MI), who will become chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations when Congress reconvenes with the Democrats in charge of the Senate on June 5th, has announced that one of his first orders of business upon assuming the chair of the subcommittee will be to investigate oil industry mergers and allegations of price gouging by the industry. Senator Levin has asked the U.S. General Accounting Office, a congressional watchdog agency, to investigate these issues and may hold hearings in June or July, depending on the results of the GAO investigation.

SUPREME COURT REJECTS TRIBAL TAX CLAIM

The U.S. Supreme Court unanimous struck down a hotel occupancy tax imposed by a Native American tribe on a hotel located on land within the boundaries of a reservation owned by a non-Native American operator. Chief Justice William Rehnquist authored the opinion for Atkinson Trading Company v. Shirley, stating that a tribe has no jurisdiction over non-members of the tribe operating businesses on land within the borders of a reservation if the non-member owns the land in fee simple.

SIGMA MEMBERS RESPOND TO CALL TO ACTION

Several SIGMA members have already responded vigorously to last week's call to action on legislation introduced to eliminate the phase-in requirement of EPA's low-sulfur diesel rule. SIGMA is offering resources via its Web site to make this effort a little easier. In addition to the draft letter, available for download in Word and PDF formats, you can obtain name and address information for your representatives using SIGMA's new Web-based Legislative Action Center (sponsored by Wright Express). An Excel spreadsheet of House addresses is also available for download. Visit www.sigma.org!

HOUSE PANEL ABANDONS ELECTRICITY MARK-UP

Offering a preview of the tough legislative battles to come concerning President Bush's national energy policy initiatives, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Billy Tauzin (R-LA) abandoned attempts to mark-up legislation to address continuing electricity shortages in California. After two days of acrimonious debate in the committee -- with Democrats championing electricity price caps and Republicans pushing for increased generation and a free market approach -- Mr. Tauzin recessed the mark-up without setting a date for additional work on the electricity legislation (H.R. 1647). Many observers view the testy mark-up of this legislation as an indication of things to come when the committee, and others on Capitol Hill, attempt to push through major portions of the President's energy plans. It is clear, at least from this preview, that acrimony, rather than bipartisanship, will be the prevailing theme for the early legislative debates on energy policy issues.

SUMMER COMMITTEE MEETINGS JULY 17 & 18

SIGMA's Summer Committee Meetings are held each July in Washington, D.C. to give members an exceptional opportunity to meet with legislators on Capitol Hill. This year's site is the historic Willard Inter-Continental Hotel, where President Ulysses S. Grant first coined the term "lobbyists." Just two blocks from the White House, the Willard has been host to Presidents, dignitaries and celebrities for more than 150 years.

To guarantee your hotel room at special contracted rates, you must make your reservation by June 22nd. There is no fee for meeting attendance, but your registration is requested by that date. The Summer Committee Meeting Schedule and Registration form is now available online at www.sigma.org.

INCREASED PROFITABILITY IS FOCUS OF MASTERS PROGRAM

Based on developing strategies to help you realize greater profitability in a difficult marketplace, UVA's George Overstreet will present a SIGMA Masters program July 13-18 on the UVA campus in Charlottesville, VA.

Designed for key strategists in marketer companies such as CEO's, CFO's and second generation owners, "Creating Wealth Through Motor Fuel Marketing" will teach participants to:

• Identify the most valuable aspects of the business

• Promote the evolution of promising operating groups, products and services

• Grow the business into a more profitable enterprise

SIGMA is extending a special offer to readers of Weekly Report: register by close of business on Wednesdays. June 6th at the regular rates! For registration information and materials, visit www.sigma.org or call 703-709-7000.

To determine if this program is right for you contact George Overstreet at (434) 924-7063 to discuss program specifics.