Dear PEI Member:
PEI convened a meeting of industry stakeholders (oil marketers, additive
manufacturers, EPA, equipment groups, trucking industry and standards
organizations) last week at EPA's Office of Underground Storage Tanks to
discuss reports of corrosion in underground storage tank and dispensing
systems containing ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD). The problem was first
identified in a PEI Forum post in December 2007 and then described in detail in the PEI Journal
(1st Quarter 2010) that was mailed last week. A digital version of the
PEI Journal can be read and downloaded at
www.peijournal.org.
PEI called the meeting because we have received reports of excessive
corrosion of metal equipment and components from all regions of the country,
in both newer and older equipment, in high- and low-use situations. But the
corrosion problems don't appear everywhere and excessive deterioration does
not seem to appear at all facilities in a particular market. Participants in
the meeting stressed that they had firsthand knowledge of only a few
incidents of corrosion and by some accounts reports had not increased over
time. Although many at the meeting had not seen corrosion on a large scale,
a fair number of them were still in an information gathering mode.
The stakeholders group agreed to take a two-pronged approach to
investigate the problem. The first step is to determine if the corrosion
problem is isolated or more widespread. A task force was formed at the
meeting to develop separate surveys for equipment manufacturers, service
providers, and owners/regulators to try to get a handle on how pervasive the
problem is. If the results indicate substantial issues, then the second step
would be to conduct a systematic integrated evaluation of the problem and
suggest a solution.
We expect the initial surveys of equipment manufacturers, service
providers and tank owners/regulators to be available by the end of February.
PROGRESS REPORT: E15 AND LEGACY EQUIPMENT
PEI staff attended a meeting last week hosted by the American Petroleum
Institute (API) where participants shared the progress that has been made on
various research projects concerning mid-level ethanol blends (E15) and
other renewable fuels. Representatives from the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory (NREL) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory discussed the testing
they are performing on legacy petroleum marketing equipment for the
Department of Energy (DOE). The Environmental Protection Agency (leak
detection equipment) and API (vapor recovery equipment) also shared
information about the research projects with which they are involved. There
were two takeaways from the meeting that are important for PEI members and
their customers: |
Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel
Mid-grade Ethanol Blends
Automatic Temperature Compensation
Charles D. Kemp
Golf Tournament
April 29, 2010
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- Participants at the meeting fully expect EPA to permit the use of
ethanol blends up to 15 percent sometime this summer. Tests conducted for
DOE by NREL on late-model vehicles have not shown any major problems to
date.
- The research projects on legacy equipment used in petroleum marketing
operations will not be completed before EPA's expected announcement. That
means EPA will most likely be in a position to approve a fuel (E15) that
can legally (as far as EPA is concerned) be used in most vehicles, but for
which listed petroleum marketing equipment―new
or legacy―does not exist.
On a related note, we expect the National Fire Protection Association's (NFPA)
Technical Committee on Automotive and Marine Service Stations to amend NFPA
30A (Code for Motor Fuel Dispensing Facilities and Repair Garages) to
require dispensers, hoses, breakaways, swivels, flex connectors, emergency
shutoff valves, vapor recovery systems and pumps used with alcohol-based
fuels to be either listed or approved. If this code change is made,
fire marshals can allow nonlisted equipment to be used provided it is
"acceptable" to them. The code change would be similar to that adopted by
the International Code Council to its International Fire Code in 2009. We
will provide you with additional information on this change as soon as the
NFPA code change process officially begins this spring.
SO LONG, ATC
National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM) officials, at its
Interim Meeting last week in Nashville, voted to withdraw all proposals
involving automatic temperature compensation issues under consideration by
the Specification and Tolerances Committee. Furthermore, the NCWM board of
directors voted to dissolve a special task force formed last year to
evaluate ATC issues and to develop recommended changes to Handbook 44. As a
result of action taken at the meeting, all automatic temperature
compensation issues under consideration and review by the National
Conference on Weights and Measures are resolved and no action is expected in
the foreseeable future.
U. S. CONVENIENCE STORE COUNT SHOWS MODEST DECLINE
The number of convenience stores in the United States fell 0.2 percent
in 2009 and now stands at 144,541 as of December 31, 2009, according to data
from the NACS/Nielsen TDLinx 2010 Convenience Industry Store Count. This is
the second straight year that the count has declined, but only the fourth
time in the last 15 years. The industry count reached a high of 146,294
stores two years ago. A total of 115,340 stores sell motor fuels, a 0.6
percent increase over last year. Single-store operators account for 62.3
percent of the industry.
DOT BANS TEXTING WHILE DRIVING
U. S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced federal guidance to
expressly prohibit texting by drivers of commercial vehicles such as large
trucks and buses. The action is the result of the Department's
interpretation of standing rules. Truck and bus drivers who text while
driving commercial vehicles may be subject to civil or criminal penalties of
up to $2,750. The prohibition is effective immediately.
PETROLEUM MARKETING NOTES
"In 2010, we will be growing our chain of 1,050 retail locations by
adding an additional 80 sites, which will be a combination of Murphy USA
locations at Wal-Mart supercenters and our standalone Murphy Express offer,"
said Murphy Oil Corp. president and CEO David Wood during the company's
fourth-quarter 2009 earnings call last week.
Norway's Statoil said February 3 that it may spin off its Energy and
Retail Division by the end of the year in a bid to reduce its exposure to
the low-margin service station business. Statoil currently owns a network of
2,300 service stations spread across eight countries.
Royal Dutch Shell signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding
with Brazil's Cosan on February 1 to form a $12 billion biofuels
joint venture. Around 90 percent of new vehicles sold in Brazil are
flex-fuel vehicles capable of running on either pure ethanol or pure
gasoline. Brazil's state-owned oil company Petrobras has said it expects
sugar cane-based ethanol to take over 75 percent of Brazil's light vehicle
fuel market by 2020, shrinking gasoline's share of the market to 17 percent.
Kinder Morgan Energy Partners said it has bought three ethanol
terminals for $195 million and formed a venture that will help create a
national distribution system for the alternative motor fuel.
PEI MEMBER BRIEFS
Ventaire, LLC moved February 1 to 909 North Wheeling Avenue, Tulsa,
Oklahoma 74110. The company's new mailing address is P. O. Box 481090, Tulsa
74148.
RDM Industrial Electronics, Inc., Nebo, North Carolina, has named
P & G Marketing & Associates as its 2009 Manufacturer's Representative
of the Year. RDM also has announced that JV & Associates, Inc. will
represent its product line in Florida.
Plasteel International Inc., Carlsbad, California, has licensed MPI
Consultants LLC, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, to manufacture Plasteel®
underground tanks.
Total Control Systems, Fort Wayne, Indiana, has named Shawn Kiefer
its west coast sales manager. He will be based out of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Cell:
260-403-0444. Email:
skiefer@tcsmeters.com.
DEATHS
Carol Winicki, former customer service manager for EBW, passed away
January 9 at the age of 76. Carol worked at EBW for 31 years and served as
customer service manager for the last 20 years until her retirement in 1999.
She is remembered as a person who knew and remembered every customer
personally and was genuinely interested in them and their families. She was
preceded in death by her husband of 51 years, Bernard, in 2006. Survivors
include four children and eight grandchildren.
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS
Tennessee general contractor. Southern Integrated Services, Inc., P. O.
Box 197, Atoka, Tennessee 38058, has applied for membership in PEI's service
and construction division. J. D. Martin is the primary contact for the
company, which was established in 2004. The company is a general contractor,
offering service and installation to its customers. Sponsored for PEI
membership by Eric M. Scott, SouthernCo, Memphis, TN.
www.southernisi.com
Florida petroleum services provider. ProtoCore Technologies, PMB
#111, Suite 305, 2750 Race Track Road, St. Johns, Florida 32259, has applied
for service and construction division membership. Cheryl R. Bennett is a
managing member of the company, which was established in 2009. The company
provides service and repairs POS systems, pumps and tank monitoring
equipment. Sponsored for PEI membership by Brantley Crosby, PtrSerGrp,
Waycross, GA. www.protocoretechnologies.com.
ADMITTED TO PEI
- Complete Aviation Fuel Systems, Peoria, AZ (dis)
- Renewable Fuels Association, Omaha, NE (aff)
- EnerCon Construction Services, Bear, DE (S&C)
- Orion Merchant Solutions, Inc., Miami, FL (S&C)
- Winesett-Hill Constructors, Inc., Hixson, TN (S&C)
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