• Continued support for meaningful speculative position limits for commodities (RIN 3038-AD99). Communicated general priorities regarding draft Senate legislation to reauthorize the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), including strengthened customer protections for commodity hedgers. Opposed the House CFTC reauthorization bill, known as the "Commodity End user Relief Act" (HR.2289), over of concern for the expansion of cost benefit requirements under Section 202, changes to judicial review proceeding under Section 210 and cross-border regulation of derivatives under Section 214.
• Supported continued inclusion of higher blending volumes for biodiesel in the Renewable Fuel Standard; and generally encouraged support for biodiesel production, distribution and use in the home heating oil market. Advocated modernization of and improvements to the administration of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Opposed the repeal of the crude oil export ban (Division O, Title I, Section 101) in the year-end tax and spending bill (H.R.2029, Pub.L.114-113) without including adequate relief for Northeast refineries (see petroleum refiner transportation credit, Division P, Title I, Section 305 which was ultimately included in the final bill). Expressed concerns regarding natural gas pipeline proposals found in Sections 1101 and 1115 of H.R.8.
• In the final year-end tax and government spending bill (H.R.2029, Pub.L.114-113), supported a two year retroactive extension of the biodiesel blender's tax credit (Division Q, Title I, Section 185), and preferred expensing limits (Ibid., Section 124) and bonus depreciation (Ibid., Section 143) for businesses. Opposed inclusion of proposed changes to the biodiesel tax credit found in Section 155 of the Tax Relief Extension Act (S.1946).
• Opposed the diversion of funds from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to state and utility programs that would encourage fuel switching as proposed in the President's Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Request for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); and successfully opposed its inclusion in the year-end omnibus spending bill (H.R.2029, Pub.L.114-113). Also successfully advocated sustained funding for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the omission of CFTC related policy riders under Division A, Title VI of the same.
• Supported the "Save American Workers Act 9H.R.30), the "Forty Hours is Full Time Axt" (S.30) and other draft legislation and amendments to modify the definition of "full time" under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Pub.L.111-148) from 30 to 40 hours per week.
• Advocated for relief from a proposed FMCSA rule that would increase minimum financial responsibility requirements for motor carriers, and supported legislation to accomplish this including H.R.2077 and Section 5509 in the five year highway bill (H.R.22). Supported the inclusion of changes to DOT requirements regarding the enforcement and study of hours-of-service restart rules (Section 133) in the year-end tax and spending bill (H.R.2029, Pub.L.114-113).
• Sought additional time to properly seek stakeholder input on a rule to increase minimum efficiency standards for oil and gas furnaces and boilers (NPRM published in the Federal Register on March 31, 2015,80 Fed. Reg. 17222); and sought inclusion of a temporary delay of a final rule in S.2012, S.1029, Section 519 of H.R.2028 and draft comprehensive energy legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Duration: April 1, 2015 to November 30, 2015

General Issues: Financial Institutions/Investments/Securities, Fuel/Gas/Oil, Taxation/Internal Revenue Code, Budget/Appropriations, Labor Issues/Antitrust/Workplace, Transportation, Manufacturing

Spending: about $30,000 (But it's complicated. Here's why.)

It can be tricky to figure out how much an organization spent on a particular lobbying engagement. The law only requires lobbyists to report the amount they were paid for federal lobbying each quarter rounded to the nearest $10,000—and if it's less than $3,000 in a given quarter (or less than $13,000 for organizations with in-house lobbyists), they don't have to disclose it at all. Plus, some organizations include spending that doesn’t belong in the report—for instance, money spent lobbying state governments or other legal work.

Agencies lobbied since 2015: U.S. Senate, House of Representatives, Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Health & Human Services - Dept of (HHS), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Energy - Dept of, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration