|
PCI compliance upgrade standards are now understood by most customers.
However, except for Shell's incentive program and systematic upgrades by a few large
convenience store chains, retailers are still standing on the sidelines.
Interest in equipment used to store, meter and dispense diesel exhaust fluid
(DEF) is just beginning to heat up. One member wrote: "Thankfully we are
tied to an industry that keeps on going in the face of the huge economic
mess that has crippled so many." He's right on target. We are in the midst
of the worst recession since the Great Depression. If this is as bad as it
gets, we can survive it.
E15 WAIVER PETITION
NACS and SIGMA have filed joint comments with the Environmental
Protection Agency opposing a waiver request filed by Growth Energy to
increase the ethanol content in gasoline to 15 percent. Both trade
associations noted that the existing fueling infrastructure is unable to
support ethanol blends greater than 10 percent, that selling blends greater
than 10 percent exposes retailers to multiple layers of liability, and that
warranties for most if not all passenger vehicles exclude coverage if a
consumer uses fuels with more than 10 percent ethanol.
The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers also opposed Growth Energy's
waiver request. It said that increasing the blend rate beyond 10 percent
ethanol would affect vehicle emissions, performance and durability. "We urge
EPA to delay any decision on blends higher than E10 for the existing fleet
until adequate testing results are available," the group said in a comment
letter to EPA July 20. The Alliance represents BMW, Chrysler, Ford, General
Motors, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi Motors, Porsche,
Toyota and Volkswagen.
"EPA, along with the Dept. of Energy, is continuing to test E15 and
E20 in legacy vehicles. This testing will take at least another year,
according to a DOE official, and EPA is sure not to approve an E15 or E20
blend until testing is completed."--Kiplinger's Biofuels Market Alert,
July 1, 2009.
"In testifying on Capitol Hill recently, two out of three Cabinet officers
mentioned biofuels in their opening statements. The two? Tom Vilsack,
secretary of agriculture, and Steven Chu, secretary of energy. The one who
didn't? Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson, whose
agency is weighing whether to bump up the ethanol blend in gasoline by
50% from E10 to E15. The move was requested earlier this year by Growth
Energy, a trade association representing biofuels in Washington. Jackson's
omission may have been perfectly innocent, but we're hearing that EPA
staffers are somewhat resentful at attempts by members of both the current
and former administrations to push for higher ethanol blends before ongoing
testing has been completed."--Kiplinger's Biofuels Market Alert, July
15, 2009.
REGULATORY BRIEFS
Kentucky. The federal EPA has proposed to approve the source-specific
State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision submitted by the Commonwealth of
Kentucky to remove Stage II vapor recovery control requirements at Avis
Rent-A-Car and Budget Rent-A-Car facilities at the Cincinnati/Northern
Kentucky International Airport. Since volatile organic compound (VOC)
emissions are now controlled by onboard refueling vapor recovery (ORVR), EPA
concluded that removal of Stage II vapor recovery would not result in an
increase of VOC emissions, and thus would not contribute to ozone formation.
Automatic temperature compensation. Senator Claire McCaskill
(D-MO) has reintroduced the "Future Accountability in Retail (FAIR) Fuel
Act," which would require nearly all retail fuel dispensers nationwide to be
equipped with temperature compensation devices. McCaskill introduced similar
legislation last year that did not attract much support. Earlier this month
the National Conference on Weights and Measures rejected both the permissive
and mandatory use of automatic temperature compensation at retail
dispensers.
BRIEFLY NOTED
Northeast Petroleum Technologies, Inc. has appointed Jim Holland as its
new area sales representative working out of its Utica, New York, branch
office. He will cover the western part of the company's marketing territory
in New York State.
BP has announced the sale of its stake in a joint venture aimed at
producing biodiesel from the seeds of the jatropha plant. BP found jatropha
quite expensive to grow and harvest. The company said it has decided to
invest in three strategic biofuel areas: ethanol from sugar cane in Brazil;
cellulosic ethanol in the United States; and biobutanol.
FLYING J AND PILOT ANNOUNCE PRELIMINARY MERGER AGREEMENT
Flying J Inc., Ogden, Utah, has reached a preliminary deal to sell its
fuel-stop business to Pilot Travel Centers, Knoxville, Tennessee, in
a plan that would see creditors paid back in full and set the stage for
Flying J to emerge from bankruptcy. Pilot, which operates over 300 travel
centers in 41 states, will also provide Flying J with $100 million in
"debtor-in-possession" bankruptcy financing under the terms of the deal,
which is subject to approval from the federal bankruptcy court in Delaware.
Flying J owns 270 travel plazas in the United States and Canada. The
proposed deal does not include Flying J's other businesses, such as its
Longhorn Pipeline and the Big West Oil refinery in Bakersfield, California.
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS
Transfer pump manufacturer. Lutz Pumps, Inc., 1160 Beaver Ruin Road,
Norcross, Georgia 30093, has applied for manufacturer division membership
in PEI. Calle Larsson is president of the firm, which was established in
1970. The company manufactures transfer pumps and accessories which are sold
through distributors. Sponsored for PEI membership by Rod Carter, TerraEnv,
Sioux City, IA. www.lutzpumps.com
Safety-interlock manufacturer. ESL Power Systems, Inc., 2800 Palisades
Drive, Corona, California 92880, has applied for manufacturer division
membership. Michael Hellmers is president of the firm, which was established
in 1995. The company manufactures safety-interlocks including manual
transfer switches for emergency power backup systems for commercial and
industrial applications. The interlocks are sold through distributors.
Sponsored for PEI membership by Bradley F. Baker, HuskyCorp, Pacific, MO.
www.eslpwr.com
Canada publication. Convenience & Carwash Canada, 543 Borebank Street,
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3N 1E8, has applied for affiliate division membership.
Brenda Jane Johnstone is associate publisher for the magazine, which was
established in 2008. Convenience & Carwash Canada is a bi-monthly,
national trade publication serving the convenience, petroleum and carwash
sectors in Canada. Sponsored for PEI membership by Eva C. Chambers, VeederR,
Simsbury, CT. www.convenienceandcarwash.com
Florida DEF supplier. Yara North America, Inc., 100 North Tampa
Street, Suite 3200, Tampa, Florida 33602, has applied for affiliate division
membership. Shelly Peterlin works in the marketing department of the firm,
which was established in 1905. Yara produces DEF. Sponsored for PEI
membership by Charles Culverhouse, Blue1USA, Duluth, GA, and Charlie Tew,
SoPmpTnkNC, Charlotte, NC. www.yara.com
Florida manufacturers representative. GEO Trading Solutions, LLC,
10606 SW 79th Terrace, Miami, Florida 33173, has applied for affiliate
division membership in PEI. Gustavo E. Ortelli is CEO of the firm, which was
established in 2008. The company is a manufacturers representative for
products from the United States, Argentina, Europe and China. GEO Trading
Solutions also provides construction engineering services. Sponsored for PEI
membership by J. Gregory Hockman, HockmnLews, West Orange, NJ.
www.geo-ts.com
China dispensing equipment manufacturer. YongJia TongLian Petroleum
Equipment Co., Ltd., Sanqiao Industrial Zone, Oubai, Yongjia, Wenzhou,
ZheJiang, China 325105, has applied for affiliate division membership. Zhu
Sheng is sales manager for the firm, which was established in 1998. The
company manufactures nozzles, dispensers and fueling equipment. Sponsored
for PEI membership by Li Er Lin, Censtar, Zhengzhou City, Hena, China.
www.zyqnozzle.com
Alabama installation and service company. FuelSystems, LLC, 616 West
Carroll Street, Suite 4, Dothan, Alabama 36301, has applied for service and
construction division membership. Evan Milner is the general manager for the
firm, which was established in 2006. FuelSystems is a fueling equipment
installation company that also offers testing, removal and upgrades.
Sponsored for PEI membership by Allen Turner, TurnerPump, Dothan, AL.
Dominican Republic construction and maintenance firm. Conservasa,
S.A., Calle Palacio de Los Deportes #85, El Millón,
Santo Domingo, D.N., Dominican Republic, has applied for membership in PEI's
service and construction division. Jaime R. De Los Santos is the primary
contact for the company, which was established in 2007. The company builds
and maintains service stations. Sponsored for PEI membership by Doc Boehme,
BottomLine, Osakis, MN.
Massachusetts testing and inspection service firm. Statewide UST
Inspectors LLC, 189 Bowdoin Street, Suite 38, Boston, Massachusetts 02122,
has applied for service and construction division membership. Kevin Cotton
is the primary contact for the firm, which was established in 2008. The
company provides compliance testing and inspection services, in addition to
the installation and service of equipment. Sponsored for PEI membership by
Jerome F. Mello, NorEastern, Boston, MA.
ADMITTED TO PEI
- Benecor, Inc., Fenton, MI (mfr)
- Brenntag, Reading, PA (aff)
- JL Hansen Associates, Rotterdam Junction, NY (aff)
- LeMesnager Engineering, Inc., San Diego, CA (S&C)
- Total Environmental Solutions, Sanford, NC (S&C)
- C-3 Technologies, LLC, North Brunswick, NJ (S&C)
|
