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Dear PEI Member:
Membership in the
newest PEI program—PEI Women—is now open. Any woman who works for a PEI
member company is encouraged to join. Women members of PEI’s Operations and
Engineering Division and female regulators also may join. Among other
benefits, the program will include a session at the PEI Convention, a
conference in the spring, networking at these events and via social media, a
mentoring program, and online learning opportunities. Lifetime membership is
available for a one-time fee of $100.
The idea for this program grew out of a
standing-room-only session/reception at last year’s PEI Convention in
Atlanta. Fifteen attendees at that meeting then gathered last January in
San Antonio to begin formulating preliminary ideas. Following that meeting,
PEI President Phil Farrell appointed nine women to further develop the
program as members of the PEI Women Committee. Members of that committee
include Kristi Peterson, Xerxes Corporation (chair); Nichol Benavides,
Petroleum Solutions, Inc; Lisa Blassingame, NOV Fiber Glass Systems; Chris
Blumberg, Southeastern Petroleum Systems; Paola Bravo, S. Bravo Systems
Inc.; Joyce Couch, Husky Corporation; Lynn Fry, RSSE; Michelle Saab, Wayne
Fueling Systems; and Susan Regier, P.S.I. Equipment Sales, Inc.
The Committee has now developed initial programming for
the group. First up is the PEI Women session at the PEI Convention on
Tuesday, October 7, from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m., at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort
& Casino (formerly the LVH). All women are invited to attend to learn more
about PEI Women and how the group will help women in the industry; to hear a
short presentation by renowned demographer Ken Gronbach on the changing
roles of women in the workplace; and, most importantly, to network with
peers.
Planning for the inaugural PEI Women’s Conference is
underway. The conference is slated for April 29-May 1, 2015, in downtown
Denver. Be sure to save the date. Early-bird registration will open January
1, 2015.
To become a charter member of PEI Women, click
here.
EPA SENDS 2014 RFS REQUIREMENTS TO OMB
On August 22, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent its
final Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) targets for 2014 to the White House as
the long-delayed rule enters its final round of review before public
release. It is unclear how long the rule will remain at the White House’s
Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Such reviews can take up to three
months, but OMB can move quickly at times. Last year, OMB took just over 30
days to send the final biofuel targets back to EPA. |
PEI Women: Accepting Members
2014 RFS
Requirements At OMB
LNG/CLNG Committee Appointed
PEI Convention Notes
PEI and Industry News »
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More than 260 days have passed since the 2014 RFS
targets were first proposed in November 2013. The continued uncertainty over
the final 2014 requirements creates compliance challenges for biofuel
producers, oil and gas refiners, and other groups subject to the rule. By
the time the rule is published, companies will have about three months to
make any necessary adjustments to comply with the regulation, which is
applicable for the entire calendar year.
LNG/LCNG FUELING SYSTEMS COMMITTEE APPOINTED
2014 PEI President Phil Farrell has appointed 13 people to serve on a
committee charged with writing Recommended Practices for the Design,
Operation and Maintenance of Liquefied Natural Gas/Liquefied Compressed
Natural Gas Vehicle Fueling Facilities (working title). Members include:
Scott Zepp (chair), Consolidated Utilities Corp., Boston, MA; Jim Ames, BLU
LNG Transfuels LLC, Salt Lake City, UT; Kelly Crellin, Brugg Pipesystems
LLC, Rome, GA; Patrick Fiedler, Fielder Group, Los Angeles, CA; Jimmy Ford,
Power Integrity Corporation, Greensboro, NC; Brett Hovland, Shell Oil
Company, The Woodlands, TX; Joseph H. Hoyt, FNX LNG Solutions LLC,
Plantation, FL; Michael Keilty, Endress+Hauser Flowtec AG, Division USA,
Estes Park, CO; Paul Pitney, Husky Corporation, Pacific, MO; Jon Rathbun,
Bennett Pump Company, Spring Lake, MI; Greg Thomas, C. E. Thomas Company,
Gardena, CA; Ted Williams, American Gas Association, Washington, D.C.; and
Tom Wyper, Wayne Perry, Inc., Buena Park, CA.
PEI CONVENTION AT THE NACS SHOW CHECKLIST
The PEI Convention at the NACS Show (October
7-10 in Las Vegas)
is just a month away. Make sure you have covered all your bases to ensure a
terrific convention experience.
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If you
haven’t already, register
now to receive Advance
Discounts of up to $150 per attendee.
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Reserve housing now
while rooms are still available.
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Purchase
your Kick-Off Breakfast
tickets.
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Join Find
Red to further your
networking opportunities and help PEI at the same time by greeting and
helping attendees find their way around the Las Vegas Convention Center.
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To help
you make the most of your time, click
here to view the current
list of exhibitors and attendees, the schedule-at-a-glance, and detailed
descriptions of all PEI sessions and events.
BRIEFLY NOTED
Deadline for comments to the draft of PEI’s Recommended Practices for
the Design, Installation, Operation and Maintenance of Compressed Natural
Gas Vehicle Fueling Facilities (RP/1500) is September 10. Go
here to download the document and submit comments.
Veeder-Root, Simsbury, Connecticut, has acquired software-as-a
service (SaaS) provider FuelQuest Inc., Houston, Texas. FuelQuest provides
software and services to suppliers, distributors, retailers, carriers and
fleets that use transportation fuels throughout the world.
Franklin Fueling Systems, Madison, Wisconsin, has appointed Balaji
Swaminathan to the position of marketing director. He will lead Franklin’s
team of product managers in managing their respective product lines.
REGULATORY BRIEFS
New York. New York rules for bulk storage of petroleum and chemicals, as
well as for management of used oil, would be revised and updated to reflect
statutory and regulatory changes under a
proposal issued last month by the state Department of Environmental
Conservation. To simplify compliance, the proposal would consolidate
existing state and federal rules for underground storage tanks (USTs)—except
for provisions governing financial responsibility—into one rule. The
proposal would also reflect the requirements of the federal 2005 Energy
Policy Act, including: facility operator training requirements; authority to
prohibit delivery of petroleum and hazardous substances to tanks that are
leaking, may be leaking or are being operated in significant noncompliance;
and requirements of piping and dispenser secondary containment. Public
comments are due November 4 on the proposal, which reflects informal
comments received in response to the issuance of a draft in August 2013. The
Department also plans an online briefing and a series of public meetings
around the state about the plan. PEI/RP100 (installation of USTs) and
PEI/RP200 (installation of aboveground storage tanks) are incorporated into
the proposed rule by reference.
LEAD SCAVENGERS REPORT RELEASED BY ASTSWMO
The lead scavengers ethylene dibromide (EDB) and 1,2-dichloroethane (DCA)
were present in leaded gasoline nationwide from the early 1920s to the late
1980s, and were removed from leaded fuels in the late 1980s due to the
potential risk lead poses. The trouble is that EDB and 1,2-DCA persist in
the environment today due to historic releases from USTs, and scavengers are
a serious potential groundwater contaminant and risk to human health and the
environment.
In 2013, the Association of State and Territorial Solid
Waste Management Officials (ASTSWMO) LUST Task Force surveyed all 50 states
to identify what the states are doing to investigate and remediate these
lead scavengers. Based on the answers of the 35 states that responded, the
LUST Task Force found:
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There is still great variation from state to state regarding
how lead scavenger issues are addressed;
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In most states, the percentage of sites with lead scavengers
as a contaminant of concern is less than 20 percent of their total site
population;
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Of the responding states, just 14 said they routinely monitor
their storage tank sites for the presence of lead scavengers. Eleven states
said they do not monitor for additive contamination, and nine said they
“sometimes” monitor. Some of the states that don’t routinely monitor for
lead scavengers said they did in the past but stopped because they weren’t
finding them; and
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Remediation of lead scavengers almost always occurs in
conjunction with efforts to clean up other contaminants, and current
mitigation technologies appear to be sufficient.
The 49-page
Lead Scavengers Survey Report should be of interest to environmental
service companies, remediation contractors and UST owners, especially those
doing business in the 35 states that responded to the survey. The
state-by-state responses are noted in an appendix to the document.
TEN YEAR OLD UST VIOLATION SAGA ENDS WITH PAYMENT OF
OVER $2.8 MILLION
In September 2004, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) filed an
administrative complaint against Duncan Petroleum Corp., Dover, Delaware,
citing violations of federal regulations designed to detect and prevent
leaks from underground storage tanks (USTs) at five Maryland gasoline
stations. That complaint was settled in a February 2006 consent agreement
which imposed a $65,000 penalty, and required measures to ensure continued
compliance with UST safeguards.
After Duncan Petroleum failed to carry out the
compliance measures, EPA inspected 13 additional Duncan Petroleum stations,
documenting UST violations at each facility. In December 2008, after
providing multiple opportunities to settle the matter, the United States
Justice Department filed a civil action against Robert Duncan and Duncan
Petroleum. After two days of jury trial, the claims were resolved in August
2010 by a stipulated order, agreed to by Robert Duncan, requiring payment of
a $2 million penalty by December 15, 2010.
Robert Duncan failed to pay the agreed penalty,
claiming an inability to pay. After analyzing his financial information, the
government discovered that six months prior to trial, Robert Duncan conveyed
assets worth about $10 million to several LLCs, trusts and foundations under
his control.
In August 2011, the United States filed a new complaint
against Mr. Duncan and affiliated parties, seeking to void these asset
transfers pursuant to the Federal Debt Collection Procedures Act. On the eve
of the trial in March 2014, Mr. Duncan stipulated that the government had
sufficient evidence to establish that most of the transfers were fraudulent,
and the United States agreed to delay proceedings to permit him to settle
his liability by selling and refinancing assets. As of last month, the
United States received total payments in settlement of the federal lawsuit
of $2,889,351.41, which includes the $2 million penalty imposed in 2010,
plus interest, as well as attorney’s fees and costs exceeding $450,000, and
daily stipulated penalties exceeding $300,000.
DEATHS
Gregory K. Spiros, codes and compliance coordinator for Superior
Equipment Company, St. Louis, Missouri, passed away August 3. He is survived
by his wife, Margie; a son, Adam; and brothers Stephen, Jimmy and Matthew.
Greg is the son of Patricia Brown and Gerry Spiros and the late James H.
Spiros.
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS
Mexico distributor. Equipos Industriales Del Noroeste, S.A. de C.V.,
1734 South Street Aldama, Col. Anahuac, Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico C.P.
81280, has applied for distributor division membership. Leopoldo Frias
Garcia Parra is director for the firm, which was established in 1984. The
company represents Bennett, Catlow, CentralIl, Federal, Franklin, HuskyCorp,
Leotec, OPW-FC and RedJacket. The firm repairs and services the equipment it
sells. Sponsored for PEI membership by J. Gregory Hockman, HockmnLews, West
Orange, New Jersey.
www.einsa.com.mx
California international trade firm. Swift Petrochemicals, Inc., 4640
Admiralty Way, Suite 500, Marina Del Rey, California 90292, has applied for
affiliate division membership. Ibiyemi Durosinmi-Etti is vice president of
the firm, which was established in 2012. The company is an oil and gas
industry business engaged in the international trade of oil and gas
equipment. Sponsored for PEI membership by Min Jiang, BlueSky, Wenzhou,
China.
www.swiftpetrochemicals.com
Tennessee microbiological tools firm. Microbial Insights, Inc., 10515
Research Drive, Knoxville, Tennessee 37932, has applied for affiliate
division membership. Anita Biernacki is vice president operations for the
firm, which was established in 1992. The company provides diagnostic tools
to aid clients in understanding and managing biological processes for
environmental remediation, microbial induced corrosion and microbial source
tracking. Sponsored for PEI membership by Bill Lawson, AtlantcMfg, Milton,
DE.
www.microbe.com
Construction and removal contractor. Genesis Contracting, Inc., 6505
Angola Road, Toledo, Ohio 43528, has applied for service and construction
division membership. James Gordon is chief financial officer for the
company, which was established in 1998. Genesis specializes in the
installation, removal and upgrade of storage tank systems for petroleum
based products. Sponsored for PEI membership by B. F. Larson, OWLarsonCo,
Clarkston, MI.
www.genesis-contracting.com
California services firm. JTP Gas Station Service, Inc., 12224
Milldale Court, North Hollywood, California 91605, has applied for service
and construction division membership. Hagop Ter-Petrossian is CEO of the
firm, which was established in 2013. The company services and repairs
equipment for service stations, and tests vapor recovery equipment.
Sponsored for PEI membership by Gregg Miller, NWPump, Portland, OR.
www.jtpgasstationservice.com
ADMITTED TO PEI
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Imagen Maldonado, S.A. de C.V., Tecamac, Estado de Mexico, Mexico (dis)
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Multiserve Petroleum Equipment Ltd., Milford, Nova Scotia (dis)
- Locking Systems International, Inc., Orlando, FL (mfr)
- Greer Inc., Lakewood, WA (mfr)
- Clark Welding Service, Appalachia,
VA (aff)
- Phucharoen Construction & Service
Co., Ltd., Nakhon Sawan, Thailand (S&C)
- Northwest Environmental Solutions,
Inc., Sumner, WA (S&C)
- Bill Bowden, My Goods Market,
Pleasanton, CA (O&E)
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