The Minnesota Department of Commerce announced recently that the Energy Assistance Program administered by the Department will increase the maximum annual crisis benefit for qualifying households from $600 to $1,200, following the February…

The Minnesota Department of Transportation will end winter load increases in the SOUTH, SOUTHEAST and METRO frost zones Wednesday, March 3, 2021 at 12:01 AM. MnDOT will continue to evaluate weather forecasts to…

REMINDER - It’s that time of year again for energy marketers to start preparing EPCRA Tier II reports for any facility storing petroleum during the 2020 calendar year. The Emergency Preparedness and Community…

Employers need to understand the rules on mandating the COVID-19 vaccine for its workforce. While an employer can require its employees to get the vaccine before returning to work, several exceptions exist. The…

EMA and MPMA continue to hear from energy marketers who have received hefty fines for failure to display IRS nontaxable use warning labels on dispensers. The IRS requires all dyed diesel and dyed…

A newly released study by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) entitled “Low Energy: Estimating Electric Vehicle Electricity Use” reveals that, in California, drivers of electric vehicles (EVs) drive less than half…

Effective Friday, February 12, 2021, Governor Tim Walz, has granted Emergency Executive Order 21-09, declaring an Emergency and Providing for Relief from Regulations to Motor Carriers and Drivers Operating in the State of Minnesota. The Executive…

“We’re ready!” That’s Circle K’s response to a General Motors commercial, launched ahead of the Super Bowl on Feb. 7, in which comedian Will Ferrell attacks Norway for being ahead of the United States on electric vehicle (EV)…

EMA The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued stronger worker safety guidance to help employers and workers to implement a coronavirus prevention program and identify risks which could lead to exposure…

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced that more than 56,000 CDL driver drug and alcohol violations were recorded last year in the agency’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse database which began operation…

Exemptions for refiners not meeting blending requirements may be few and far between. President Biden has made no secret of his climate agenda, which is likely to boost ethanol production in the U.S.,…

Governor Walz signed a new law to "carry over" Unemployment Insurance (UI) tax rates from 2020 into 2021. This new law will help ensure that pandemic-related unemployment in 2020 does not affect 2021…

The agency seeks to mitigate and prevent viral spread in businesses, offices and other places of work. Complying with part of one of President Biden’s first Executive Orders the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration…

The IRS has made plans to clear up the backlog of outstanding motor fuel refund claims owed to energy marketers. Senator Toomey’s (R-PA) office recently informed EMA that the IRS developed a new…

It’s that time of year again for energy marketers to start preparing EPCRA Tier II reports for any facility storing petroleum during the 2020 calendar year. The Emergency Preparedness and Community Right to…

The Minnesota Department of Transportation will begin winter load increases on unrestricted highways in the METRO, SOUTHEAST and SOUTH frost zones at 12:01 AM on Monday, February 1, 2021. Winter load increases are…

The Biden Administration this week, imposed a freeze on new and pending federal regulations. The freeze is designed to ensure that new and pending regulations are first reviewed by Biden appointees for consistency…

Before President Trump left office, the U.S. EPA issued a total of three small refinery exemptions from RFS blending mandates (two waivers for the 2019 compliance year and one waiver for the 2018…

A new CDC toolkit offers resources to help essential employers raise awareness and address common questions. As the vaccines against COVID-19 become more available, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has published…

On Wednesday, January 20, 2021, among the many environmental policies that the new Administration is expected to reverse, President Biden signed an Executive Order revoking a critical permit for the Keystone XL pipeline.…