FEATURED NEWS
� EMA FILES OBJECTIONS TO PROPOSED FEE SETTLEMENT
The Energy Marketers of America( EMA) filed objections to a newly proposed settlement of a swipe fee case brought by a merchant class that accepted Visa or Mastercard credit cards between December 18, 2020 and the present, according to CEMA Pipeline, the newsletter of the Connecticut Energy Marketers Association:
A federal court in New York rejected an earlier version of the settlement, and EMA views the new one now before the court as equally bad for merchants. The thrust of EMA’ s objections is that the latest version of the settlement provides only a temporary and unworkable solution to the problems caused by excessive interchange fees, while permanently restricting merchants’ legal rights.
The fee reduction of a tenth of a percent is negligible, and the 1.25 % cap on interchange fees is only temporary and can easily be manipulated by the card companies that raise the network and other fees they collect. Visa and Mastercard would also retain centralized control over interchange fees and restrictive acceptance rules.
While the settlement would allow merchants to decline rewards cards, the card companies could add rewards to all their cards( even small and insignificant ones), which would make the right to decline rewards cards meaningless. And in return for these so-called“ benefits,” merchants would have to give up all their rights to sue Visa and Mastercard.
EMA also believes that even a bad settlement would be touted by Visa and Mastercard as a major achievement that they could use to kill the Credit Card Competition Act( CCCA) now pending in Congress. EMA has worked hard to support the CCCA as representing a real reform of the system and a significant step forward for its retailer-members. For more on the proposed settlement turn to page 18 in this issue.
NEADA: HOUSE BILL INCLUDES INCREASE FOR LIHEAP
The House Appropriations Committee released its draft Labor / HHS funding bill,
FEATURED NEWS
• EMA Files Objections to Proposed Swipe-Fee Settlement
• NEADA: House Bill Includes Increase for LIHEAP
• Preview: NPGA Southeastern & International Propane Expo, April 19 – 21 in Nashville
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which includes LIHEAP, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. The draft would provide $ 4.045B for LIHEAP, an increase of $ 20 million from fiscal year( FY) 2025, the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association said in a Jan. 20 statement.
Last year, both the House and the Senate proposed small increases for LIHEAP for FY2026. $ 4.045B is the number from the Senate, the higher of the two proposals, NEADA said.
The bill also includes language requiring HHS to explain how it plans to operate the program considering the staffing cuts last spring:
“ The agreement directs ACF to brief the Committees within 30 days of enactment of this Act on the staffing levels of the Office of Community Services, including information on the workforce in the LIHEAP office, and how ACF will be addressing any vacancies to support State heating and cooling assistance programs, distribute LIHEAP funding in a timely and accurate manner, and complete the LIHEAP Formula Report as requested in Senate Report 119-55.”
Once a final funding bill is passed, HHS can release all remaining LIHEAP funds. If this funding level holds, states will
APRIL 2026
NPGA Southeastern & International Propane Expo April 19 – 21 Music City Center Nashville, TN. Website: www. npgaexpo. org / 2026
MAY 2026
Eastern Energy Expo May 17-20 Mohegan Sun, Connecticut Website: EasternEnergyExpo. com
get the remaining 10 % plus $ 20 million.
The National Energy Assistance Directors Association( NEADA) is an educational and policy organization for state directors of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program( LIHEAP), a federal program that helps low-income families pay their heating and cooling bills. This news is reprinted from the NEADA website( www. neada. org). It has been slightly edited for clarity and length.
PREVIEW: NPGA EXPO
The 2026 Southeastern & International Propane Expo will take place Sunday, April 19- Tuesday, April 21 at the Music City Center in Nashville, TN.
Make new business contacts and connect with colleagues, old and new, at valuable networking events offered each day at the Expo. Choose from more than 40 education session or workshops. Discover more than 250 suppliers of goods and services. Expo offers the largest array of propane-related products and services in the world; all in one convenient location.
Here are selected education highlights. Note that for some sessions and events additional fees apply. For complete information, visit www. npgaexpo. org / 2026. Descriptions of the following sessions, events and presenters are reprinted from the NPGA Expo website.
Hazardous Materials Awareness & HM126F Certification for Propane Distributors NPGA presents the new hazardous materials awareness certification course. This
6 FEBRUARY 2026 | FUEL OIL NEWS | www. fueloilnews. com