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Dear PEI Member:

The 2021 PEI Convention at the NACS Show, Oct. 5-8 in Chicago, is on! As always, PEI and NACS are 100% committed to ensuring a safe, fun and rewarding event for all attendees. Here’s what you need to know to make your plans for the biggest industry event of the year.

The Numbers. More than 1,000 PEI members and guests already have registered for the convention — with more attendees signing up every day. Nearly 99% of the Fuel Equipment and Services booths have been sold, so you are certain to see the latest in business-building technology, products and solutions at the trade show.

Safety. Chicago instituted a temporary indoor mask mandate on Aug. 20, in response to CDC guidance that masks should be required when the city hit a daily average of 400 new COVID-19 cases per day.

Interestingly, in the days since the announcement, new cases have fallen below 400 per day. If daily cases remain below 400 for a week or two, Chicago’s Department of Public Health said it will lift the mask mandate.

Additional safety measures and updates as of today include:

PEI Convention Update

RP1000 Comments Close Sept. 5

Mastercard Phasing Out Magnetic Stripes

RFA, Growth Energy Seek E15 Rehearing

EV Charging Stations Resources

Respond to this Newsletter

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

• Enhanced cleaning. McCormick Place is a GBAC STAR accredited facility in recognition of its thorough safety practices, protocols, procedures and systems. View the center’s enhanced facility cleaning procedures.
• Expanded badge pickup. To ease congestion, PEI will have a larger-than-normal registration footprint at McCormick and an additional badge pickup location during our pre-show events.
• Bigger meeting rooms. Chicago’s large meetings rooms allow for easy and natural social distancing.
• Full capacity. Chicago announced Aug. 17 that they do not expect to institute capacity limits or other restrictions at public events in the city.
• Reimagined show floor. NACS designed the trade show floor with attendees’ safety and comfort in mind. Wider, longer and straighter aisles will promote traffic flow and reduce congestion.
• Vaccinations. NACS and PEI encourage and recommend that attendees be vaccinated. However, vaccination is not required to attend the show.
• Regular updates. PEI will keep attendees and exhibitors informed of changes or developments as the convention approaches. For the latest updates, you can check the Convention FAQs 24 hours a day.

Register (and Save!) With Confidence. Register now to save $150 (or more) on your “full attendee” registration. In the unlikely event of cancellation pursuant to a governmental decree, all advance registrants will receive a 100% refund.

Education. An already strong educational program just keeps getting better. Recent additions include:

• Unhackable: Cybersecurity for the Petroleum Equipment Industry
• Where’s the Money in the New Normal
• What You Need to Know to Compete in the EV Marketplace
• Safety Trio: The Fire Triangle, Trench Safety and Confined Spaces

Social Events. PEI’s full schedule of special events will proceed as planned: Kickoff Breakfast & Keynote; Membership Breakfast & Keynote; 10-Groups Breakfast & Keynote; PEI Women Workshop & Reception; PEI Young Executives Session & Reception; PEI After Hours; and the PEI Industry Reception.  Come to network, learn and enjoy the company of old friends and new colleagues. 

If ever there were a year for the industry to come together, this is the one. It’s been too long. Register today to save $150 — and we’ll see you in Chicago!

RP1000 COMMENTS CLOSE SEPT. 5
Members and other stakeholders who would like to submit comments for the next edition of PEI/RP1000: Recommended Practices for the Installation of Marina Fueling Systems must do so by midnight, Sunday, Sept. 5. PEI/RP1000 provides authoritative guidance on the construction of safe, environmentally protective fueling systems at recreational, commercial and government facilities. To comment, visit www.pei.org/rp1000 and click “Comment Now.”  

MASTERCARD PHASING OUT MAGNETIC-STRIPE CARDS
Mastercard announced a 12-year plan to phase out its magnetic stripe credit and debit cards. The rollout includes the following targets:

2024: Magnetic stripes will begin to disappear in Europe and other non-U.S. markets.
2027: U.S. banks no longer will be required to include a magnetic stripe on their cards.
2029: No new Mastercard credit and debit cards will carry a magnetic stripe.
2033: No Mastercard credit and debit cards will have magnetic stripes.

In support of the phase-out, Mastercard cited consumer acceptance of newer technologies and the greater security offered by chip cards, biometric cards and contactless payment. Some 81% of U.S. consumers are comfortable with cards that do not have stripes, according to a recent Phoenix Consumer Monitor survey.

RFA, GROWTH ENERGY SEEK E15 REHEARING
The Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy and the National Corn Growers Association asked the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals for a rehearing of the court’s decision to vacate a 2019 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule allowing year-round retail E15 sales. (See July 7, 2021 TulsaLetter.)

In a joint statement, the petitioners said: “If allowed to stand, this court’s decision to vacate EPA’s rulemaking to allow E15 to be sold year-round will have devastating consequences for the market expansion of homegrown biofuels. Petitioning for a rehearing is a critical next step in giving biofuel producers and farmers a fair shot in the marketplace and providing American drivers with better access to cleaner fuel choices. We are hopeful that the full court takes up the petition and reverses the panel’s decision.”

EV CHARGING STATION INSTALLATION RESOURCES
The Fuels Institute’s Electric Vehicle Council released Best Practice Guide for Installing and Operating Public Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure. The report will help stakeholders assess the business case for EV charging stations, effectively engage with utilities and work with local authorities having jurisdiction.

PEI, the Fuels Institute and NACS are jointly developing two additional EV charging station guidance documents — for existing retail fueling sites and new builds, respectively. Both resources will be introduced and discussed during a session at the 2021 PEI Convention at the NACS Show.

BRIEFLY NOTED
“A staggering 86% of global organizations believe they will suffer serious cyber attacks in the next year and 80% reported they are likely to experience a data breach, according to a new report by Trend Micro and the Ponemon Institute. … Many organizations said they aren’t prepared enough to manage new attacks across employees, executives, and board members. Others stressed the lack of sufficient processes to combat attacks, ranging from patching to threat sharing. Finally, organizations have a strong need to evaluate their existing security tools and ensure they’re using the latest advanced detection technologies across their networks.” — VentureBeat, Aug. 6

“The USDA on Aug. 19 announced $26 million in investment under the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program. The funds will expand the availability of higher-blend renewable fuels by 822 million gallons annually in 23 states, according to the USDA. … To date, the USDA said it has invested $66.4 million through the HBIIP for projects that are expected to increase biofuels sales by 1.2 billion gallons annually. Additional awards may be made in the future, as USDA in February 2020 said it would allocate up to $100 million to the program.” — Ethanol Producer Magazine, Aug. 19

“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to recommend to the White House reducing federal biofuel blending mandates for 2021 to below 2020 levels in what would be a blow to the biofuels industry, two sources familiar with the matter said on Friday. The EPA also is expected to make a separate recommendation to boost the blending mandates for 2022 above the previous two years, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity. In the short term, the agency is looking to lower the amount of biofuels that refiners are required to blend into the U.S. fuel pool because the COVID-19 pandemic has sapped fuel demand.” — Reuters, Aug. 20

“General Motors said Friday it is recalling all Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles sold worldwide to fix a battery problem that could cause fires. The recall and others raise questions about lithium ion batteries, which now are used in nearly all electric vehicles. Ford, BMW and Hyundai all have recalled batteries recently. … The GM recall announced Friday adds about 73,000 Bolts from the 2019 through 2022 model years to a previous recall of 69,000 older Bolts.” — Washington Post, Aug. 20

“The Genesis GV60—the Hyundai luxury brand's first dedicated electric vehicle, due next year—is shaping up to offer a technology first: It will be one of the first global-market EVs with original-equipment wireless charging. The hardware, claimed to be supplied by WiTricity, will initially only be offered (or enabled) in South Korea, Genesis confirmed Friday to Green Car Reports. The brand will first incorporate the wireless charging tech on the GV60 as part of a test, or pilot program, in that market in the later part of next year.” — Green Car Reports, Aug. 21

PEI MEMBER NEWS
Invenco partnered with Centrapay to enable secure pay-at-the-pump terminals to accept next-generation payments. The integration between Centrapay’s Merchant Payments system and Invenco’s iNFX Retail Microservices enables retail fuel locations to accept transactions using digital wallets, POS/merchant services, rewards programs and more.

Matrix Capital Markets Group Inc. advised Sherman V. Allen Inc. on the sale of 13 Mac’s Market-branded convenience stores and one commissioned-agent location to Global Partners LP. The stores, which sell Citgo-branded fuels, are in Vermont, New Hampshire, New York and Massachusetts.

Pump & Meter Service made the following personnel announcements: Bob Harrington was promoted from Hopkins, Minnesota branch service manager to director of service for all Pump & Meter Service branches. Kevin Mann is now service manager and Ryan Chadwick is assistant service manager for the Hopkins branch.

Seneca Companies named Chris Williams a national account manager. Williams brings 15 years of experience in the retail/commercial petroleum industry, as well as a strong background in project management and team-building.

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS
South Carolina service company. TK Tank Services Inc., 425 Boulevard Rd., Sumter, SC 29150, applied for service and construction division membership. Matthew Chapman is president of the organization, which was established in 1990. TK Tank Services Inc. performs underground storage tank (UST) removal and disposal of petroleum-affected soil and water. Sponsored for PEI membership by Taylor Woodruff, Meco Inc. of Florence, Florence, South Carolina. www.tktanksvc.com

Texas manufacturer. Nationwide Tanks Inc., 3567 IH 35 S., New Braunfels, TX 78132, applied for manufacturer division membership. Sherri Fowler is chief sales officer for the company, which was established in 2011. Nationwide Tanks Inc. manufactures fiberglass tanks, which are sold primarily through distributors. Sponsored for PEI membership by R.N. Cole, VSA Inc., Dallas, Texas. www.nationwidetanks.com

Arizona contractor. R10D Construction, 16772 W. Bell, Suites 104-110, Surprise, AZ 85374, applied for service and construction division membership. Steven Moreland owns the firm, which was established in 2018. R10D Construction is a petroleum facilities oriented commercial general contractor. Sponsored for PEI membership by Jason Mitchell, Icon Containment Solutions, Woods Cross, Utah. 

New York equipment rental company. ABLE Equipment, 1050 Grand Blvd., Deer Park, NY 11729, applied for affiliate division membership. Stacy Irons is vice president of sales operations for the company, which was established in 1996. ABLE Equipment provides equipment rentals, sales, service, parts, transportation and user training. Sponsored for PEI membership by Christopher Honor, Bolla Pump & Tank, Garden City, New York. www.ableequipment.com

Texas distributor. J & N Supply Co., 1212 Riverside Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76111, applied for distributor division membership. Glen Harrell is general manager of the firm, which was established in 1979. J & N Supply Co. distributes service station petroleum equipment parts and supplies. Sponsored for PEI membership by Keith Moye, OPW Retail Fueling, A Dover Company, Hamilton, Ohio. www.jnsupplyco.com

Colorado service provider. ET Technologies, 10000 S. Dransfeldt Road, Suite 100, Parker, CO 80134, applied for service and construction division membership. Kirk Masten is retail general manager of the company, which was established in 1983. ET Technologies offers storage tank installation, service, removal, remediation, excavation and treatment fuel solutions. Sponsored for PEI membership by Bill Hosier, Anco International Inc., San Bernardino, California.

ADMITTED TO PEI

• Thomas Dersch, Dersch Energies Inc., Mount Carmel, Illinois (operations and engineering)
• Curtis House, Two Farms Inc., Laurel, Delaware (operations and engineering)
• APTIM Environmental and Infrastructure LLC, Dallas, Texas (affiliate)
• OCCU-TEC Inc., North Kansas City, Missouri (service and construction)

MEMBERSHIP TRANSFER

• Patriot Petroleum Services, Loveland, Colorado (from service and construction division to distributor)

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.