As used in this chapter, unless the context requires otherwise, the following terms and phrases shall have the following meanings:

1."Petroleum products" shall mean kerosene and number one and two heating oils;

2. "Supplier" shall mean any person, partnership, company, corporation or association engaged in the refining and subsequent sale of petroleum products to any distributor in the Commonwealth;

3. "Distributor" shall mean any distributor, wholesaler, jobber, consignee or commission agent who purchases or otherwise acquires possession of or an interest in petroleum products under a contract of supply in the Commonwealth from a supplier for redistribution or wholesale sale;

4. "Monthly allocation" shall mean the monthly amount of petroleum products sold or otherwise supplied to a distributor under applicable U.S. Department of Energy regulations and rules, or which the supplier may otherwise be allocating to its distributors;

5."To discontinue" shall mean the failure or refusal to sell a monthly allocation as defined herein to a distributor for a period of six consecutive months unless such failure or refusal is the direct and proximate result of force majeure;

6."To reduce" shall mean the failure or refusal of a supplier to deliver at least seventy-five per centum of a monthly allocation to a distributor for a period of two consecutive months unless such failure or refusal is the direct and proximate result of an allocation percentage factor applied by the supplier to all its distributors or force majeure;

7."Force majeure" means an act of God or any other cause not reasonably within the control of the supplier.

1980, c. 457.