Seneca Nation President Rickey Armstrong Sr. is warning that the Nation will bar two motor fuel providers this week from supplying gasoline and other fuel to stations on its territory for not paying fees and acquiring required licenses.
Armstrong has sent letters to the companies telling them to pay undisclosed fees and secure mandatory Nation licenses. Until they do, the companies will be barred from conducting business on Seneca Nation territory starting Friday. One company was suspended immediately.
“The motor fuel trade is a linchpin of the Seneca Nation economy. We will not condone any operation or provision of services that evades or seeks to evade our Nation’s laws and requirements for doing business on our territory,” Armstrong said in a statement Tuesday.
“Doing business with the Seneca Nation is a privilege, not a right,” he said. “If providers are willing to engage fairly with us and comply with Seneca Nation laws and requirements, we are happy to continue working with them so the Seneca Nation’s economy can remain strong.”
The gas stations are big business for the Senecas. Because gas sold on their territory does not include the state and federal taxes imposed on fuel purchases outside the reservation, Native stations can have a big price advantage, depending on how much of the tax savings they share with customers.
The stations on the Seneca reservation in Irving tend to be among the more generous in passing along the tax savings. On Tuesday, stations on Seneca territory in Irving were selling regular gas for around $2.78 per gallon, roughly 50 cents less than the average price across the Buffalo Niagara region, according to gasoline price tracker GasBuddy.com
Crossett of Warren, Pa., supplies fuel to gas stations in the Nation’s territories. If it does not meet the fee and licensing requirements, it will have its Seneca Nation business licenses suspended as of Friday, the Seneca Nation said. If that…
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