In 2013, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) was charged with studying Privatization of the Petroleum Storage Tank Fund to determine if moving in that direction, or adding a risk-based criteria to the current fund, makes more sense for the long term health of the Fund. UPMRA is concerned about small and medium sized independent retailers who depend on the Fund to maintain their EPA required pollution mitigation insurance that helps protect the environment. Read More...

The Attorney General's office opposed reauthorization of the Motor Fuel Marketing Act during the Interim Committee, and they have not taken any enforcement action since 2001 and even asked the legislature to sunset the Act in 2005, but failed. In 2010 Attorney General Shurtleff stated he would not enforce the motor fuel marketing act because it is unconstitutional; and last month his staff said they would not enforce because they do not have the money to prosecute.

Attorney General Shurtleff is not running for reelection next year, which gives UPMRA an opportunity to educate the future attorney general as to the perceived value of enforcing the Motor Fuel Marketing Act.

If you see below cost selling in your area, keep a record of the street prices of nearby competitors for several days and then send the information to the UPMRA office. Take photographs of your competitor?s price signs using a camera with a time stamp function and send them to us as well. We will aggregate the information for the sake of anonymity prior to sending it to the Attorney General.

January 1, 2012 is Utah?s deadline for EPA-mandated UST Operator training and the State of Utah DEQ reports that over half of all UST operators have still not registered, nor have they sat for the operator training exam.

UPMRA partnered with Tait Environmental to offer a web-based, self-paced UST Operator Training program for only $135 per person. Check it out at: http://pstinstruction.com/#/utah-class-a-b-operators, and remember to apply the discount code: UPMRA2012 to get the reduced price; course for non-members is $175.

Additionally, Federated Insurance has developed an Underground Storage Tank (UST) Training CD-ROM to help UPMRA members comply with the new requirements for Class C operator training. Class C operators do not need to be registered with the state, but Class A operators must keep a record of Class C operators and make sure they understand their responsibility to monitor UST leak detection systems.

Every November, UPMRA holds legislative lunches in Ogden (11/14), Provo (11/28), and Salt Lake (11/30) where we invite all UPMRA members and associates, and State legislators to come together for lunch and a discussion of current issues facing the petroleum industry and Utah.

UPMRA also convenes a "Day on Capitol Hill" during the legislative session (Feb. 29, 2012), where we invite key legislators to speak to our members about pressing concerns, and after lunch, our members have an opportunity to lobby their legislators on UPMRA's behalf.

In addition to the reauthorization of the Motor Fuel Marketing Act, UPMRA lobbyists and its members will be working with Senator VanTassell on his gas tax proposal, Representative Ray on his perennial flavored tobacco and e-cigarette ban, Representative Eliason and the DEQ on his question as to whether eliminating the Underground Storage Tank Fund and requiring all tank owners to find private insurance is a good idea.