Every trade organization in the US is taking a look at the incoming President and Congress to see what the impact will be on their members' legislative interests. The Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America is no different.
Here at SIGMA's 50th anniversary meeting in San Francisco, the group's Legislative Committee discussed the impact of a Democratic executive branch and a more heavily Democratic Congress.
Attorneys from Steptoe and Johnson LLP, the group's attorneys, saw a mixed bag. On the one hand, despite the increased majority for Democrats in the House of Representatives, the ruling party was a bit more moderate than before the election.
Their feeling was that the larger majority for the Democrats in the House could make it more difficult for speaker Nancy Pelosi to enforce party discipline, as there would be less incentive to buck local interests in the name of party unity.
And Rahm Emanuel's ascension to White House Chief of Staff takes an enforcer out of the Congress, and a less-left wing presence pushing the President's agenda. However, if Henry Waxman were to beat out John Dingle for the head of the House Energy and Commerce committee, that could bring a more aggressive agenda on environmental and health care issues.
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