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About Us
The New England Fuel Institute's Legislative & Regulatory Action Center was established in January, 2006 by then-CEO Jack Sullivan. The "NEFI Action Center" mission is to provide constant, up-to-date information on public policy, legislative and regulatory developments and compliance issues that impact NEFI member companies and the industry at-large. The Action Center, through its staff in Boston, MA and Washington, DC, is working around the clock to defend the interests of the industry nationwide and here in the Northeast.
The Action Center provides NEFI members with the latest developments from Washington and the industry through frequent legislative action alerts, regulatory alerts, compliance bulletins and kits, seminars, webinars, and regular contributions to NEFI's Oil & Energy monthly magazine and NEON, NEFI's weekly e-newsletter. Both independently and through membership in national associations, coalitions and alliances, the Action Center lobbies on legislative and regulatory issues that affect small business fuel dealers and the industry as a whole. Its national public policy agenda is set by the NEFI Government Affairs Committee (click here). Legislative and Regulatory Action Center Staff
 Shane
Sweet: President and CEO of NEFI. Shane was the executive
vice president and director of the Vermont Fuel Dealers Association (VFDA)
for 14 years. Under his leadership, VFDA merged with another fuel association,
grew from 60 companies to 260, increased its revenue nearly 8-fold,
and became a visible and active member of the Vermont business association
community. Shane served on numerous Legislative & Regulatory committees
and regularly testified in Vermont House and Senate Committees on fuel-related
legislation. In 2006, VFDA offered the industry 130 different Education & Training
programs in Vermont. In the 1980s he managed the flagship heating oil,
propane, gasoline and service operations for a multi-state fuel marketer
based in Manchester, Vermont. Contact: shane@nefi.com. Jim
Collura: Vice President, Public Policy and Communications — Prior
to joining NEFI in October 2005, Collura worked as a legislative
aid for a national charitable organization and as an assistant to
U.S. Senator Judd Gregg (of New Hampshire) in Washington, DC. Jim
is a native of Waltham, Massachusetts, holds a bachelors degree in
Political Science from Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH and
has completed some post-graduate work in Congressional Studies at
Catholic University in Washington, DC. Contact: jimcollura@nefi.com Mark
S. Morgan: Regulatory Counsel in Washington, D.C. Mark lobbies
federal regulatory
agencies such as the EPA, DOT, OSHA and the IRS on issues important
to NEFI members. Mark
also provides regulatory compliance information to NEFI members as
well as other petroleum
marketing groups across the country. Mark, a Massachusetts native,
graduated from the
University of Massachusetts and earned his Juris Doctor and Masters
Degree in Environmental
Law at Vermont Law School. Contact: mark@nefi.com Elizabeth
McCarthy: Policy Advisor — Prior joining NEFI in December
of 2008, Elizabeth completed her first year of Doctoral Studies
(PhD) in Resource Economics at the University of Massachusetts,
Amherst where she was both a Teaching Assistant and a Research
Assistant in Energy Economics. Currently, she is on leave for the
year 2008-2009. Professionally, Elizabeth has worked in Investment
Banking in Mergers & Acquisitions,
Private Equity, and Merchant Finance in New York City and Houston,
and as an Energy and Metals Commodities trader in London. Elizabeth
is a native of Boston, Massachusetts. She graduated from Mount
Holyoke College (A.B.) in South Hadley, Massachusetts where she
majored in International Relations with a minor in Economics and
a concentration in the International Political Economy of Energy.
Contact: elizabeth@nefi.com David
Rocco: Regulatory Affairs & Marketing Assistant— joined NEFI in 2008. He currently resides in New Hampshire. He graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a major in Political Science and a minor in French. Running, writing and following politics are his major hobbies. His previous career was in customer service. He loves animals and enjoys traveling to France. Contact: dave@nefi.com
The NEFI Government Affairs Committee (or "GAC") is a standing committee within the New England Fuel Institute, established to serve the industry by identifying public policy issues (i.e., legislative, regulatory and public relations issues) of interest to NEFI members and the industry and taking action. Whenever possible, the GAC seeks to establish productive national and regional dialogue within the industry, and to build strong coalitions, alliances and partnerships within the industry and beyond in order to advance issues of concern to fuel dealers and their consumers.
 Howard Peterson: (Peterson Oil Service, Worcester, MA) – NEFI Chairman of the Board – Biography coming! Chris
Keyser: (Owner Services, Rutland, VT) – Immediate Past Chairman
of the Board —was born in Chelsea, Vermont. He graduated
from Tufts University in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Chris
first entered the fuel industry in 1979 with the purchase of his hometown's
fuel dealer. He currently lives in Rutland, Vermont. He has held numerous
distinguished posts: President of Vermont Fuel Dealers, Rutland Region Chamber
of Commerce, Rutland Economic Development Corporation and Member of the First
NORA Board and Finance Committee. He is currently President of the Vermont
Oil Heat Institute Workers Compensation Self Insurance Trust, a Member of
TBS, President of the Killington Music Festival, Vice Chair of the Vermont
Economic Progress Council (a state board responsible for granting Vermont
business tax incentives), a Member of the Rutland City Rotary and a Paul
Harris Fellow. He is also the Northeastern Region Chair for PMAA and the
Chairman of the Board for NEFI. Contact: chris.keyser@ownerservicesinc.com Tom
Devine: (Devine Bioheat, Norwalk, CT) – Chairman, NEFI Government
Affairs CommitteeHusband to Maribeth and father to Claire and Jack, Tom and his family reside in Norwalk, CT home to the family business Devine Bros., Inc. Tom shares the responsibility of managing the business with his brother Sean, cousins Michael, Richard, Steve Devine and Sonia Donovan. The company produces and retails redi mix concrete, retails mason building supplies and landscape supplies. Devine Bros., Inc. retails heating oil, is a blender and retailer of bioheat, and offers customers 24 hour heating and cooling conservation services. Tom is involved in many community organizations as well as industry organizations; National Biodiesel Board, Independent Connecticut Petroleum Organization - board member and Legislative Chairman, National Oilheat Research Alliance - board member serving on the finance committee. Tom was recently appointed by CT Speaker of the House Amann to sit on the Fuel oil Conservation Board, a venture established for the purposes of administering and implementing conservation and energy efficiency programs for Connecticut fuel oil customers. Tom is a 1989 graduate of St. Anselm College, Manchester, NH. Here he served an internship researching for the State Senate in Concord NH, and became involved with the successful bid made by George H.W. Bush for the White House. Contact: TDevine@devinebrosinc.com
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE MEMBERS (per NEFI By-Laws)
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NOTE: This document is the intellectual property of the New England Fuel Institute (or “NEFI”) and is subject to revision. No part of this document may be re-distributed, copied, altered or posted on the internet without permission. Reporting on regulatory developments or providing compliance information does not constitute NEFI’s support unless otherwise stated. By linking to external content, NEFI does not mean to support or affiliate itself with the ideas, opinions or statements of policy expressed therein. NEFI is a non-partisan trade association and does not affiliate itself with any political party, faction or ideology. To request membership or additional information, or to make a contribution to the NEFI Action Center Fund, contact (617) 923-5022 or E-Mail lrac@nefi.com.