SPRINGFIELD, N.J. -- Legislation (A-3726/S-2553) that will help prevent the sale of hundreds of small motor fuel franchisees and offer those franchisees the ability to purchase their own stations has met with successful legislative completion, said the New Jersey Gasoline, C-Store, Automotive Association.

More commonly known as the "First Right of Refusal Act," this legislation affords franchisees the right to purchase their own stations in any assignment, transfer or sale of a franchised location. This legislation does not afford franchisees any special rights under a sale, any special discount for equity invested in the premise or any other tool which can be used to make franchisees the preferred purchaser. Instead, this legislation only states that the station at an amount equal to or greater than any other offer for a franchised premise.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A Valero Energy Corp. executive told Shelby County's state legislators Wednesday it has reached a compromise with Tennessee fuel wholesalers over an ethanol-blending bill that Valero had said threatened to shut down its Memphis refinery. According to The Commercial Appeal, the compromise would avert the need for a $130 million retrofitting of the refinery.

Last month, Valero's Memphis public affairs manager, Lisa Wheeler, told legislators that the company could not spend that amount on the Memphis plant and that "it could close if the bill passes."

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. -- A promotional campaign launched Memorial Day weekend by the Bosselman family of companies aims to reduce underage drinking, the company said. The Bosselman Cares initiative, in place at all Pump & Pantry locations across Nebraska this summer, is intended to ensure that minors never purchase alcohol from any Bosselman store.

Separately, at a press conference held at a Kangaroo Express store in Gainesville, Fla., The Pantry Inc., Anheuser-Busch and local beer distributors launched the "We I.D." campaign to help fight underage drinking and prevent sales to minors in The Pantry's 448 stores in Florida. The program, first announced earlier this month, builds upon current efforts by the retailer to restrict underage alcohol sales through enhanced employee training and various POS reminders throughout stores.