The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized a rule that aims to strengthen the country’s energy independence by advancing low-carbon fuels. The final rule intends to reduce reliance on foreign sources of oil by roughly 130,000 to 140,000 barrels of oil per day over the time frame of the final rule, 2023 to 2025.…
U.S. House Passes Gas Price-Gouging Bill
The U.S. House passed a bill geared towards oil and gas companies that will focus on alleged price-gouging at the pump. The bill — introduced by democrat representatives Kim Schrier of Washington and Katie Porter of California — would give the president the ability to issue an emergency energy proclamation. If this were to occur,…
SNAP Decisions
When the novel coronavirus hit in spring 2020, record numbers of people signed up for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). In 2018, 39.7 million Americans were enrolled, and by 2021, that jumped to 42 million. Because convenience stores account for 45% of the approximate 248,000 SNAP-qualified retailers, these developments equated to more electronic…
FDA Provides Update on Proposed Tobacco Product Standards
In April 2021, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its intent to take “significant action toward dramatically reducing tobacco-related disease and death in the U.S.” The agency now says it remains on track to advance two proposed tobacco product standards — one prohibiting menthol as a characterizing flavor in cigarettes and another…
Merchants Group Calls on Fed to Act on Debit Fees, Routing
As the U.S. Senate holds confirmation hearings on another term for Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, the Merchants Payments Coalition this week called on the Fed to finalize its proposal making it clear that merchants can choose which payment networks process debit card transactions and to also update its out-of-date debit card swipe fee regulations.…
The Vape Waiting Game Continues
All but one of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decisions on millions of premarket tobacco applications (PMTAs) for electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and e-liquids thus far have resulted in marketing denial orders (MDOs). “The number of denial orders was anticipated back in 2014 when Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association (CASAA) and other…
FTC Launches Inquiry Into Supply Chain Disruptions
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is ordering nine large retailers, wholesalers and consumer good suppliers to provide detailed information that will help the FTC shed light on the causes behind ongoing supply chain disruptions and how these disruptions are causing serious and ongoing hardships for consumers and harming competition in the U.S. economy. The FTC…
Court Postpones New Cigarette Packet Warning Deadline
Last week, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas issued an order to postpone the effective date of the “Required Warnings for Cigarette Packages and Advertisements” final rule. The new effective date of the final rule is Jan. 9, 2023. The postponement order emerged from the case of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.…
FDA Rescinds Denial Order After Humble Juice Challenge
Electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) e-liquid maker Humble Juice Co. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has rescinded the marketing denial order (MDO) issued Sept. 15, 2021, for Humble’s flavored e-liquid products with pending Premarket Tobacco Product Applications (PMTAs). Humble had filed a petition in October with the U.S. Court of Appeals…
NACS Sues OSHA in Effort to Block Vaccine Mandate
The National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), joining state and national trade associations, sues the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) over its COVID-19 vaccination and testing emergency temporary standard for employers with 100 or more employees. The lawsuit was filed on Nov. 9 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.…