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Thank you for inquiring about membership to the Colorado/Wyoming Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association (CWPMA). CWPMA has been the united voice of petroleum marketers since 1934. The Association represents the independent petroleum marketers in the wholesale and retail business of gasoline, special fuel and lubricants. In Colorado, our Members sell sixty-five percent of all gasoline and special fuel sold at wholesale and retail through their own fuel outlets or dealers. In Wyoming, our Members sell eighty percent of all gasoline and special fuel at wholesale and retail. Total retail outlets are over 1,200. We have approximately 150 Marketer members and 170 Associate members in our Association. Our Associate Members are companies or individuals whose services or supplies are sold to petroleum marketers.
Our number one priority as an association is to represent its members both legislatively and regulatory so the marketers voices are heard. CWPMA continually works to promote the fair enactment of state and federal legislation and regulations relating to its members. We strive to provide avenues to improve member's individual business as well as keep members educated about regulations impacting the industry. In today’s business world, laws and regulations come from all directions, increasing in sheer number and complexity. Few petroleum marketers can hope to comply with them all unassisted, and the penalties for violation can be extremely severe. When you join our Association, you immediately become a valued member. Our members receive high quality service from their Association in analyzing regulations and industry trends.
Our aggressive lobbying efforts give Association members a voice that gets heard by federal and state lawmakers and regulators.
On the national scene we are:
Working with the Department of Transportation on marketer's compliance with security regulations.
Working with a number of Federal agencies, EPA, IRS, OSHA to name a few on issues affecting the petroleum industry.
Working with the Colorado and Wyoming Congressional delegations on issues affecting the Association members.
· Alternative fuel mandates and current obstacles with existing infrastructure.
· Credit card fees
· Temperature Compensation at the retail level
· Market transparency
You are always kept aware and up to date on activities by Federal regulators on subjects, which may affect your business.
In Colorado, we have an excellent track record of drafting and lobbying legislation that benefits petroleum marketers. The Association sponsored legislation to fine-tune the state petroleum storage tank fund, to modify fuel excise tax regulations, to clarify tax-free transfers of gasoline and to simplify tax-free sales of clear diesel. Our legislative track record in Colorado includes:
· Increasing the penalty for gasoline drive-offs, including the loss of an individuals drivers license.
· Stopping legislation, which would have affected marketers advertising allowances paid by suppliers
· Stopping legislation, which would have allowed the state government to set up fueling centers in rest stops.
· Passed a bill to prohibit the sale of cigarettes produced for export but diverted back to the U.S. and sold for a substantially lower price thereby creating a for cigarettes.
· Passed a bill to allow the port of entry personnel to check the fuel tanks of vehicles stopped at the ports for use of dyed diesel.
· Passed a bill, which addresses tax evasion and headed up the development of the regulations.
· Shrinkage allowance for diesel fuel.
The Association works closely with the Colorado Department of Labor on underground and aboveground tank regulations; the Department of Revenue on excise taxes, and with numerous commissions regarding air quality issues which affect petroleum marketers.
In 2008 we were successful in demonstrating the detrimental effects of Stage II vapor recovery implementation for Colorado.
In Wyoming, the Association introduced major changes in excise tax legislation by moving the tax to the rack. The Association has defended the right of our members to pay the excise taxes to their suppliers without losing the float and with taxes paid on net or gross gallons.
In cooperation with the Department of Environmental Quality we introduced legislation to establish financial responsibility for underground storage tanks and corrective action accounts to pay for contamination clean up. The Association has worked with the Wyoming Department of Transportation and the Governors Office for an agreement with Native Americans to collect motor fuel taxes on fuel used off the reservation. This agreement has been signed.
The Association claimed victory in the Wyoming legislature by amending HB-007, Fuel Tax Revisions; bill to include all the changes outlined by the Wyoming Board of Trustees. These changes included:
· Delete the authority of the DOT to promulgate rules and regulations regarding bonding requirements
· Delete the requirement that tank wagons must have ticket printers
· Added actual shrinkage allowance of 1% plus 130 gallons
· Sales of clear diesel fuel will be sold with the tax included and exempt users will apply for their refund.
In addition the Association has been successful in lobbying against a seven cents per gallon fuel tax increase as well as lobbying against penalties for marketers selling dyed diesel fuel when the end user violated the exempt use of the fuel.
By joining you will be informed and updated on state and federal issues through our twice a month Newsletter, Marketer News. Our newsletter contains up to the minute information about regulations and legislation that can impact petroleum marketers. The newsletter is FREE to all Association members. In addition, members receive our Association magazine, "The Marketer," published three times a year which includes timely articles written by industry experts, product and service information and includes important marketer news.
Throughout the year the Association also provides seminars that educate members on environmental regulations, drug/alcohol testing and certification, IRS excise tax information, legal seminars that pertain to employee hiring & firing, ADA and other regulations as needed. We also provide seminars that pertain to convenience stores, such as category management, tobacco sales and c-store design, layout and marketing.
The Association rotates its Annual CWPMA Convention and Trade Show between Colorado and Wyoming. This is where Association members attend timely seminars, find out the very latest in products and services and swap stories with fellow marketers. As your Association, we encourage and are very proud of the reputation we hold in member networking, as well as the friendships and relationships formed within the Association and petroleum industry.