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It’s true. Last week, we cancelled the 2020 PEI Convention at the NACS Show, scheduled for Oct. 11-14 in Las Vegas, on the order of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

However, if the global pandemic and economic shutdown have taught our industry anything, it is that we can adapt. In that spirit, we invite you, your colleagues and customers to join us Nov. 10-12 at the 2020 PEI Virtual Convention.

The 2020 PEI Virtual Convention is no simple Zoom meeting or webinar. Each day will include about 4 hours of programming and activities. Key presentations also will be viewable on demand at your convenience. By participating in the virtual event, you’ll experience many of the same elements that have made the in-person PEI Convention so special.

Engagement. Tap into live chat, networking lounges, Q&As and breakouts for PEI Women, Young Executives, 10-Groups and Spanish-speaking Latin American members.

Education. Gain actionable ideas, download content and interact with experts during such forward-looking sessions as:

• Riding the Wave of Disruption in the Fuels & Convenience Industry
  Brian Gray
  Managing director, North American retail fuels and convenience lead, Accenture
• Economic Foresight in the COVID-19 Era
  Brian Beaulieu
  CEO, ITR Economics
• The State of the Industry
  Rick Long
  Executive vice president, general counsel, PEI
• UST Regulatory Update and Outlook
  Carolyn Hoskinson
  Director, U.S. EPA Office of Underground Storage Tanks

Priority Club Showcase. Explore the latest innovations and offerings from PEI’s Priority Club members and other exhibitors.

Networking. Meet up with other attendees in virtual networking lounges and participate in fun activities.

PEI Virtual Convention, Nov. 10-12

Revised RP100-20 Available

EPA Discretionary Enforcement Policy to Expire

PEI Supports Legislative Proposals

NJ Bill Presumes COVID Infections Work-Related

Respond to this Newsletter

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

PEI Membership Meeting. During the annual membership meeting, PEI President Bill Mascott will offer his reflections on this challenging year. We also will elect PEI officers and install new directors.

Reserve Your Seat. Registration for the 2020 PEI Virtual Convention is open at $125 per attendee. That compares to the $295 to $595 registration rates for the in-person Las Vegas event. At this rate, we hope many member companies will register service technicians, office staff and other staff who rarely, if ever, have attended an in-person PEI Convention. Here’s how to reserve your seat:

• Preregistered Las Vegas Attendees. If you preregistered for the 2020 PEI Convention at the NACS Show in Las Vegas, you will receive a full refund of that registration fee. If you choose, you may dedicate a portion of your refund to the registration fee for the 2020 PEI Virtual Convention and receive a $25 discount on the virtual event. PEI will send instructions via email to the authorized cardholder who entered your registration. Learn more here.
• All Others. If you did not preregister for the 2020 PEI Convention at the NACS Show in Las Vegas, register for the 2020 PEI Virtual Convention here.

Sponsorship opportunities for the 2020 PEI Virtual Convention will be announced soon. If your company is interested in becoming a sponsor, email Tom Leibrandt at tleibrandt@pei.org.

PEI REVISES RP100 FILL RISER RECOMMENDATIONS
Since 2005, PEI/RP100: Recommended Practices for Installation of Underground Liquid Storage Systems has advised against the use of nonmetallic piping for fill risers. However, in the three years since the most recent (2017) edition of the document, manufacturers introduced new heavy-duty fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) tank riser piping assemblies in an effort to combat corrosion of metallic risers. 

In February, after requests from regulators and industry professionals, the PEI Tank Installation Committee asked the industry for input on whether RP100 should be revised to address these new technologies. After careful review of the public comments, the committee voted to make several important revisions to PEI/RP100.

The resulting PEI/RP100-20: Recommended Practices for Installation of Underground Liquid Storage Systems is now available for purchase. Key changes in the new edition include:

• Revision of Section 10.13 to remove the recommendation against nonmetallic risers.
• A new recommendation that installers should confirm riser pipe is compatible with the product transferred/stored and approved for use by the authority having jurisdiction.
• A new warning to use proper grounding techniques to dissipate static charge accumulation if a nonconductive riser pipe is installed.
• A new note recommending the use of drop tubes to reduce turbulence and vapor buildup during fuel deliveries.

Single copies of PEI/RP100-20 are $50 for PEI members and $195 for nonmembers. Discounts are available for volume purchases. All PEI recommended practices are available in print and as downloadable PDFs. To learn more and purchase, click here.

EPA DISCRETIONARY ENFORCEMENT TO EXPIRE AUG. 31
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) signalled July 30 that it is likely to let the broad discretionary enforcement policy adopted in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic expire Aug. 31, as scheduled. (See March 31, 2020 TulsaLetter.) An EPA spokesperson, however, said the agency would retain “the authority to exercise enforcement discretion on a case-by-case basis regarding any noncompliance, including noncompliance caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency.”

PEI SUPPORTS KEY LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS
During the past two weeks, PEI joined broad coalitions of leading U.S. trade associations urging congressional leaders to pass three bills that would benefit our members.

• The Safe to Work Act, providing businesses with timely, targeted, and temporary COVID-19 liability protection. Read the letter.
• Reversal of an IRS ruling taxing otherwise-deductible expenses paid for with a forgiven Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan. Read the letter.
• Proposal to lower the threshold for qualifying businesses to obtain a second round of PPP loan funding. Read the letter.

NEW JERSEY BILL PRESUMES COVID INFECTION WORK-RELATED
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and New Jersey Gasoline-Convenience-Automotive Association asked N.J. Gov. Phil Murphy to veto a bill (S2380) that presumes essential workers infected with COVID-19 contracted the virus on the job.

The bill, which is retroactive to March 9, would entitle COVID-infected workers to workers' compensation. Although the resulting workers' comp claims would not affect employers’ experience modifier rate or premiums, the New Jersey Compensation Rating & Inspection Bureau estimated the bill would cost businesses between $400 million and $18 billion.

The Chamber’s letter said, “S2380 would transform workers’ compensation in such a way that it no longer would require a causal connection between the conditions under which work is performed and a coronavirus infection.”

BRIEFLY NOTED
“Due to their efficiency, plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) reduce the amount of energy used by light-duty vehicles compared to their internal combustion engine counterparts. ... The reduction of energy use by plug-in electric vehicles translates to a savings of 470 million gallons of gasoline in 2019.” — Department of Energy Vehicle Technologies Office, July 27

“There’s 2 billion cars and trucks on the road in the fleet and there’s 100 million made per year, roughly. So, something I often have to remind people is even if all [new] cars tomorrow were electric and autonomous, it would take 20 years to replace the fleet. So, you’ll have a strange situation kind of like when they had horses and automobiles … going down Main Street at the same time for a few decades. You’ll have that with electric-autonomous and fossil-fuel, non-autonomous vehicles.” — Elon Musk, Daily Drive podcast, July 31

“Marathon Petroleum Corp. has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Speedway convenience-store chain to 7-Eleven Inc., a wholly owned, indirect subsidiary of Seven & i Holdings Co. Ltd., for $21 billion in cash. The transaction, which includes a 15-year fuel supply agreement, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.” — CSP Daily News, Aug. 3

PEI MEMBER NEWS
E.J. Ward Inc. acquired MoneyHaul LLC, the company announced. Based in San Antonio, Texas, and Mexico, MoneyHaul was founded in 2016 by Oscar Gonzalez and Mauricio Marquez. The company developed a patent-pending software application focused on aligning the goals of heavy-truck fleet owners and their drivers.
Micah Nelson, vice president strategic growth for S. Bravo Systems Inc. in Commerce, California, was elected by his peers to represent District 12 on the PEI Board of Directors for the 2020-2022 term. Nelson and other new directors from even-numbered districts and the affiliate division (see July 22, 2020 TulsaLetter) will be installed during the 2020 PEI Virtual Convention.
Nwestco LLC named Ryan May the company’s president. May, who has been with Nwestco since 2005, most recently was the company’s chief operating officer. Tim Gibbar will relinquish this role as Nwestco president but continue as CEO.
SPATCO Energy Solutions reached an agreement to offer Leighton O’Brien fuel cleaning and polishing technology to customers in the southeastern U.S.

PEI MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS
Michigan service provider. Fuel Services Group LLC, 3517 Wedgwood Drive, Portage, MI 49024, applied for service and construction division membership. Mark Worden is president of the company, which was established in 2018. Fuel Services Group LLC is a full-service UST/AST systems provider, specializing in full compliance programs, inspections, fuel treatment, installation and removal, filtration systems, and training. Sponsored for PEI membership by Dennis Oberdove, Tank Integrity Services Inc., North Royalton, Ohio. www.fuelservicesgrp.com

Texas distributor. Stovall Commercial Contractors, 609 S. County Road 810, Alvarado, TX 76009, applied for distributor division membership. Patrick Howell is vice president of the firm, which was established in 2008. Stovall Commercial Contractors specializes in tank cleaning, AST/UST installation, service and repair, fuel electronics and maintenance. Sponsored by Chris Monroe, Monroe & Monroe Insurance, Arlington, Texas.

ADMITTED TO PEI

• Anderson Environmental Contracting LLC, Kelso, Washington (service and construction)
• Insight, Hermon, Maine (service and construction)
• Duane Kirkwood, Wilson Oil dba Wilcox and Flegel Oil Co., Longview, Washington (operations and engineering)
• Dale Allen, Wilson Oil dba Wilcox and Flegel Oil Co., Longview, Washington (operations and engineering)

The TulsaLetter 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.