October 2, 2018 | Vol. 68, No. 19

respond | preferences | login | unsubscribe

Dear PEI Member:

The 2018 PEI Convention at the NACS Show (Oct. 7-10 in Las Vegas) is only five days away. Each year, the PEI Convention is the largest education and networking opportunity in the fuel equipment industry. Use these last-minute details to get the most out of this year’s event:

Download the PEI Event App. The PEI Event App allows you to search for exhibitors and attendees, view the floor plan and organize your schedule on your mobile device. Download the app from the PEI website.

Don’t Forget to Preregister. Haven’t yet preregistered? There’s still time. Just click here.

Express Badge Pickup. Preregistered attendees can print badges and pick up their attendee packets at one of three express badge pickup stations:

● PEI Main Registration: Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC), Room N263

● Westgate Resort & Casino: Foyer, adjacent to FedEx

● PEI Sessions area: LVCC East concourse, near Room N109

Attendees registering on-site must do so at PEI Main Registration.

Give Back Through Operation Gratitude. This year, PEI is supporting Operation Gratitude, a non-profit that sends care packages and thank-you letters to soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and coast guardsmen deployed in harm’s way. Join with other PEI attendees to help assemble kits or write short thank-you notes noon to 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 8 or noon to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 9 in the PEI 1-on-1 Pavilion, LVCC N109-N110.

Enjoy the Industry Reception. Meet longtime friends and make new ones at the PEI Industry Reception Tuesday evening, Oct. 9, immediately after the trade show closes. Your badge is your ticket to complimentary libations, hors d'oeuvres, live music and fun.

PEI Convention Details

Emergency Generator Fuel Quality Testing

California Boosts ZEVs, Tightens Fuel Economy Standards

EPA Approves Nebraska E30 Test

Tesla Settles SEC Charges

Respond to this Newsletter

by e-mail to the editor, Rick Long at rlong@pei.org

or join the discussion in the Petroleum Equipment Forum

Network and Learn Through PEI 1-on-1. Gain extra insights from education session speakers and other experts through PEI 1-on-1. These small-group sessions will be held in the PEI 1-on-1 Pavilion:

Monday, Oct. 8

● Noon: New Member & First-Time Attendee Welcome. Learn how to get more out of your PEI membership and the PEI Convention at the NACS Show.

● 1 p.m.: Fueling Infrastructure & Isobutanol Compatibility. Researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory will discuss this emerging fuel, including recent equipment compatibility test results.

● 1 p.m.: PEI Journal: Ideas & Insights. Have an idea for a PEI Journal article? Want to learn how to write a press release the media won’t ignore? Visit with Editor-in-Chief Kristen Wright.

● 2 p.m.: Leading the Future Workforce. Are your managers as effective as you want them to be? Learn three points that will benefit every leader dealing with projects, deadlines, bosses and subordinates.

● 3 p.m.: Regulatory Q&A. Carolyn Hoskinson, director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Underground Storage Tanks (EPA OUST) and other EPA OUST representatives will answer your questions about the federal UST regulations.

Tuesday, Oct. 9

● Noon: Meet the Incoming PEI President. Share your questions and ideas with the 2019 PEI president. Interested in serving on a PEI committee? This is the time to voice your interest. Committee appointments for 2019 will be made Nov. 1.

● Noon: Finding & Keeping Talent. What innovative perks, benefits, technologies and best practices do smart business owners use to engage employees for the long run?

● Noon: UL Standards Updates. Engineers from Underwriters Laboratory (UL) will step through UL’s standards development processes and provide updates on key standards covering fueling system components.

● 1 p.m.: Future of Distribution Q&A. Connect with one of the distribution industry’s most influential thought leaders—Ian Heller, COO and president of Modern Distribution Management.

● 2 p.m.: PEI Women—Build Your Own Session! Participants will draw topics from a fishbowl and gather around to talk shop. PEI Women Committee members will facilitate. All women members are invited.

● 2 p.m.: Safety Lessons Learned. Join four safety experts who will share lessons learned throughout their careers in the industry.

NFPA TO REQUIRE ADDITIONAL EMERGENCY GENERATOR FUEL QUALITY TESTING?
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) committee responsible for NFPA 110: Standard for Emergency and Standby Power Systems issued a Tentative Interim Amendment (TIA) Sept. 7 that would increase the frequency of required fuel quality testing. NFPA 110 currently requires that diesel fuel in emergency generators be tested for degradation at least annually. The TIA would require testing “no less than twice annually with a maximum of 6 months between testing.”

In accordance with NFPA procedures, the TIA was submitted for a public comment period that ended Sept. 20. The committee will review the comments before taking a final action on the TIA.

CALIFORNIA BOOSTS ZEVS, REINFORCES TIGHT FUEL ECONOMY STANDARDS
Gov. Jerry Brown signed bills on Sept. 13 to increase low-income Californians’ access to electric vehicles (EVs) and other zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). Assembly Bill 2885 will give priority for “first come, first served” ZEV rebates to low-income Californians for three years. Senate Bill 957 will allow low-income ZEV owners to renew expired stickers for carpool lane access. Assembly Bill 193 will provide EV battery rebates to used ZEV purchasers. Brown also signed legislation to craft new emissions targets for ride-sharing and autonomous vehicles by 2023.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) voted Sept. 28 that automakers must comply with California’s strict passenger car and truck emissions standards to sell vehicles in the state. The CARB measure indicates California will fight the Trump administration’s effort to freeze fuel economy targets nationwide and revoke California’s power to set its own standards.

EPA APPROVES E30 TEST IN NEBRASKA
The EPA approved a request from Nebraska to study the use of higher level ethanol blends, including E30, in approximately 50 state vehicles. According to a press release from Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, the pilot program “will assess the effects of E15 and E30 blends on vehicle performance, fuel economy, and emissions control systems.” Engineers from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will provide technical assistance for the program.

CALIFORNIA SETS UST REGS WEBINARS
The California Water Resources Control Board scheduled four webinars to help UST owners, operators and contractors comply with amendments to the state’s underground storage tank (UST) regulations on testing, inspections, compatibility, training and emergency generator line leak detection. The three-hour programs will begin at 9 a.m. on Oct. 12, Oct. 24, Nov. 7 and Nov. 21. Additional details may be found here.

TESLA SETTLES SEC CLAIM
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) settled securities fraud charges against Tesla CEO Elon Musk in connection with Musk’s Aug. 7 tweet claiming he had secured funding to take the company private. Under the settlement, Musk and Tesla each will pay $20 million in penalties and Musk will step down as chairman of the Tesla board for three years. The company also will appoint two new independent directors and institute procedures to monitor and control Musk’s social media posts and other public statements.

PEI MEMBER NEWS
Frontier Sales Inc. completed the transfer of its petroleum equipment lines to Steve Latimer & Associates of Des Moines, Washington. Frontier Sales’ owners David and Ellen Luke are departing the petroleum equipment industry to pursue other business and personal interests.
Lucas Ford Associates Inc. (LFA) announced that Jeremy Moses has become a part owner of the company. Moses joined LFA as a research and development engineer in 2004 and has taken on increasing responsibilities and leadership roles in the succeeding years.
Seneca Co. Waste Solutions Services named Matt Gibson operations manager of its Des Moines, Iowa branch. Gibson comes to Seneca from Continental Cement Co. He holds a bachelor’s degree in logistics management from Ohio Christian University.

BRIEFLY NOTED
“Struggling industrial conglomerate General Electric abruptly removed John Flannery as chairman and CEO on Monday ..., and installed former Danaher CEO Lawrence Culp as his successor. … Culp, 55, was named to the GE board in April. He served as the CEO and president of Danaher from 2000 to 2014, during which he quintupled the size of the science and technology company.”—CNBC, Oct. 1, 2018
“In the UK, earlier this week, Growth Energy, the U.S. Grains Council, and the Renewable Fuels Association jointly submitted comments to the United Kingdom’s (UK) Department of Transport as it considers implementing a nationwide E10 ethanol blend.”—Biofuels Digest, Sept. 20, 2018
“San Antonio-based grocery store chain H-E-B Grocery Co. is looking to add fuel stations to its stores in Mexico, according to Mexican news outlets. Mexico City-based El Financiero reported that H-E-B is considering whether it should own and operate the fuel stations or partner with a third-party company to do so. … H-E-B owns 350 stores in Texas and another 47 in five Mexican states … .”—eprecnewslive.com, Sept. 18, 2018
“The United States and Canada forged a last-gasp deal on Sunday to salvage NAFTA as a trilateral pact with Mexico, rescuing a three-country, $1.2 trillion open-trade zone that had been about to collapse after nearly a quarter century.”—Reuters, Sept. 30, 2018

ADMITTED TO PEI

Ground-Up Fleet Solutions, St. Louis, Missouri (distributor)
Link2pump, Glen Allen, Virginia (affiliate)
Delta Petroleum, Sardis, Mississippi (service & construction)
John Davenport, Butch’s Markets, Jellico, Tennessee (operations & engineering)
Oscar Josue Alvarado Suazo, Uno Honduras, Tegucigalpa, Francisco Morazán, Honduras (operations & engineering)
Robert Kavanagh, Andeavor, Tempe, Arizona (operations & engineering)
Matt White, Dutch Oil Co., Columbus, Mississippi (operations & engineering)

Manage Your Subscription

This newsletter is a member benefit of the Petroleum Equipment Institute intended for *|FNAME|* *|LNAME|*. If you no longer wish to receive the TulsaLetter you can unsubscribe from this list.

The TulsaLetter (ISSN 0193-9467) is published two or three times each month by the Petroleum Equipment Institute. Richard C. Long, Editor. Opinions expressed are the opinions of the Editor. Basic circulation confined to PEI members.