If you cannot see the message, please click here


Road Warrior Newsletter
 

August 02, 2013

Dear NJGCA Member:

Thank you for reading this week's NJGCA Road Warrior!

Here is what you will find in this edition:

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE:
Generator Mandate in NY Causing Problems, NJ Learns from our Neighbor - GENERATORS NOT NEEDED!
BUSINESS FOR SALE!
Interested in selling your business?  See below for details and let us help you sell your establishment!

CLASSIFIEDS!
Do YOU have equipment for sale or are you looking for a new employee?!

NEWS AROUND THE STATE
•Ford F-150 gets natural gas option for 2014
Massachusetts Raises Gas, Cigarette Taxes
Electric cars finally come into their own
Plastic bag ban leads to nationwide increase in shoplifting rates
A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM BELLOMO FUELS
•Serving New Jersey since 1910 -- Over 100 years of supplying gasoline to service station retailers like YOU!

TRAINING CLASS SCHEDULE
Interested in taking a class? Call today!

MEET THE FOLKS AT LIBERTY GAS
•Looking for a new brand for your station? Take a look at the opportunity below!

MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER MESSAGE
•TMP Energy Solutions: Another Way to Save On Your Energy Bills!

POLITICAL PARTICIPATON: THE NJGCA PAC
•Participate in the NJGCA PAC today and help us keep our Agenda rolling in Trenton!

THE MEMBER TOOL BOX
•On the NJGCA Homepage

JOIN NJGCA ON FACEBOOK -- CLICK HERE

TO SEE OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL -- CLICK HERE

                                                                                                                                                                                 

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE: GREETINGS & SAL-UTATIONS! 

GENERATOR MANDATE IN NEW YORK CAUSING PROBLEMS
NEW JERSEY SHOULD LEARN FROM OUR NEIGHBOR
GENERATORS NOT NEEDED!

In the months since Superstorm Sandy, and the subsequent gas crisis, there has been a lot of talk about generator mandates.  Please note that I said “gas crisis” and not gas shortage.  In the first meeting of the New Jersey Legislature after the storm, dozens of lawmakers introduced many different bills with one common goal: to mandate that most or all of the state’s gasoline retailers have backup power generators on site and ready to go in the event of another storm -- in order to prevent future gas lines. 

What they, and most members of the public, didn’t realize though, was that the gas crisis had nothing to do with the power being out.  The problem was that the refineries, pipelines, waterways, and terminals in North Jersey were knocked out, making it impossible to deliver gas to the stations that needed it.  Most of you probably have some very unpleasant memories of this. 
 
New York City and Long Island experienced much of the same problems that North Jersey did in terms of gas deliveries.  Unlike New Jersey, however, New York didn’t just talk about generator mandates - they have actually gone through with it.  And as a recent news article detailed, it’s not going well
 
After any crisis or tragedy, politicians always rush to “get something done.”  They feel that they must be able to say that they “did something,” no matter what that “something” is.  You have heard me refer to this syndrome as “Feel Good Legislation.” Often, the fix that is rushed through the Legislature winds up being a mess and causing a whole lot of problems later on, once people have calmed down and started thinking more clearly.  This seems to be the case with New York’s generator mandate.  Here's what the New York legislation says:

Gas stations located within half a mile of certain highways in New York City, and the counties of Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester and Rockland, have until April 1, 2014 to be wired for backup generation, and either have a generator onsite or a specific plan to bring one in if the power goes down. 

The state is willing to provide some financial assistance, but it is capped at just $13,000 for the generator itself, far short of the $20,000-$40,000 that it actually costs.  The option exists to rent a unit when you need it, but how well do you think that'll work out?  Everybody will need the same handful of generators at the same time, and in the worst situations, roads will be flooded and/or blocked off by debris and emergency crews.  Most importantly of all -- and I’ve said this a thousand times now -- the problem was not a lack of power at the gas stations; it was that stations were unable to receive their gasoline deliveries.  Sooooo….having generators does absolutely NOTHING!  Gas lines will still form if refineries, pipelines, and distribution terminals are damaged and gasoline can’t be delivered to the gas stations that sell it.

With that being said, I wanted to take this opportunity to remind you how hard NJGCA worked to educate New Jersey legislators and prevent them from passing similarly foolish legislation in a knee-jerk reaction to the storm.  Among one of our most valuable assets during these discussions was the information that we were able to collect after the storm, identifying all of the stations that were closed because they were out of POWER, or closed because they were out of GAS.  Because we distributed this information that you all provided to us daily, with various government officials, including the Governor's Office, we were able to provide concrete evidence that, with very few exceptions, POWER was turned on at gas stations, yet gasoline deliveries were not being made, and stations remained closed.  This bolsters our argument that even if you all HAD generators during Sandy, we would have still experienced gas lines.

A generator mandate is NOT the solution to the gas crisis that we all experienced in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.  New York has chosen to implement costly and confusing regulations in an attempt to address a perceived problem, which actually does not exist.  Although this issue is not dead (nothing ever really dies in Trenton), I remain confident that New Jersey will not be passing a generator mandate anytime soon.  It is one more thing to keep me up at night and for all of us to remain vigilant monitoring any renewed efforts to pass such a mandate.  I have my eye on this!

Thanks for reading – See you next week!

Regards,
Sal Risalvato
Executive Director

                                                                                                                                                                                 

BUSINESS FOR SALE!

Do you have a business for sale?  Are you looking for a new location or opportunity?

NJGCA was recently able to lend a hand to members looking to sell their business by getting the word out.  Since everyone reading this message is involved in the small business gasoline retail, convenience store, and automotive repair trades, it is an ideal medium to connect with interested buyers and prospects!

If you'd like to list your business for sale, publish a location you're selling, or are seeking a business partner for your establishment, please contact NJGCA at 973-376-0066!

                                                                                                                                                                                 

CLASSIFIEDS: FOR SALE & HELP WANTED!

After running an ad in the Road Warrior over the last months, NJGCA was able to assist a member in selling his equipment!

If you'd like to list equipment for sale, or have an open position you'd like to make other industry professionals aware of, please contact NJGCA at 973-376-0066 and let us help you get the word out! 

                                                                                                                                                                                 

NEWS AROUND THE STATE: THE NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW

07/31/2013:
Ford F-150 gets natural gas option for 2014
Ford announced this week that the 2014 Ford  F-150 will be fitted to run on compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). It will be the only CNG/LPG half-ton pickup on the market. The CNG fitted F-150 can get 750 miles on one tank of CNG depending on tank size, according to Ford. Additional CNG benefits include cleaner emissions (EPA estimates a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas with CNG), a reliable domestic energy source and more stable fuel prices. On average CNG sells for $2.11 per gallon equivalent, whereas regular gas currently averages at $3.65, according to the US Energy Information Administration. We encourage our members to keep apprised of the trends in alternative energy and to be open to adapting your services in the future, should the time come.

7/29/2013:
Massachusetts Raises Gas, Cigarette Taxes
Massachusetts consumers will soon be paying higher taxes for gasoline and cigarettes, according to an Associated Press report. The state's gasoline tax jumps three cents on August 1, from 21 cents per gallon to 24 cents. Smokers will also have to shell out more for a pack of cigarettes, with the excise tax jumping $1 from $2.51/pack to $3.51/pack. The state has alerted retailers to begin collecting the new taxes, which were part of a transportation finance bill approved by the state legislature over the veto of Governor Deval Patrick. He had sought a further increase in the gasoline tax if tolls on the western portion of the Massachusetts Turnpike come down in 2017. However, evidence proves that cigarette taxes do not generate substantial amounts of revenue, because smokers simply find ways to purchase cigarettes on the black market or in other states to avoid paying the taxes.  When this issue inevitably comes up again in the NJ Legislature, please be ready to voice your opposition! 

7/25/2013:
Electric cars finally come into their own
The auto industry has danced around the idea of electric cars for more than a century. But now, with high gas prices, government fuel economy regulations and environmental and other concerns, electric vehicles are making their way into dealer showrooms. There have never been so many to choose from. Almost every major automaker sells a battery-electric car. Most offer a practical and affordable answer to the less-than-40-mile commute of most Americans.  Please read the rest of the article for more information on the growing popularity of electric vehicles, and to see what kind of threat they may pose to the future of the oil and gas industry.

7/24/2013:
Plastic bag ban leads to nationwide increase in shoplifting rates
Thanks to laws in several major cities banning the use of plastic carryout bags in retail stores, there has been a spike in shoplifting incidents over the past couple years, a trend that business owners, law enforcement officials and customers have duly noted. When a Seattle ordinance banning plastic bags took effect on July 2012, 21.1% of surveyed Seattle business owners said that the plastic bag ban led to an increase in shoplifting problems. Not only does this proposal impose regulatory burdens on shopkeepers, it has also created a financial burden. Thankfully, NJGCA has represented your interests in Trenton, and stopped this legislation from progressing.  Should it come up again, we need our members to be ready to stand with us in opposition!

                                                                                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                                                                                                 

TRAINING CLASSES!!
-ALL CLASSES WILL BE HELD AT NJGCA HEADQUARTERS-
66 Morris Avenue - Springfield, NJ 07081 (Union County)

NO CLASSES AT THIS TIME - PLEASE CHECK BACK SOON!
 
PLEASE NOTE: FUTURE DATES WILL BE ADDED UPON REQUEST AND ACCORDING TO DEMAND.  CONTACT DEBBIE at 973-376-0066 or DEBBIE@NJGCA.ORG TO LET HER KNOW YOU ARE INTERESTED IN TAKING A SPECIFIC CLASS.  THIS WILL ALLOW US TO GAUGE YOUR NEEDS AND KEEP TRACK OF THOSE WISHING TO PARTICIPATE!!

                                                                                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                                                                                                 

MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER MESSAGE

TMP Energy Solutions
Another Way to Save on Your Energy Bills

We have had a number of NJGCA members successfully reduce their rate per kWh   signing up through our energy saving program. We know it’s difficult to collect 12 months worth of previous electric bills to get an “accurate” analysis when comparing a variable rate to a fixed rate, but we now have another option available. 

This new solution is a power purchase option; the other program is still in full force and has saved members thousands of dollars. If you sign up for the power purchase option, you will be grouped with other NJGCA members until the minimum KW demand is acquired. By pooling the member’s usage together, you will be able to take advantage, as large energy users do, and receive a lower kWh rate.

Each member will receive their own contract. Each member is responsible to sign and return the agreement the day it is received in order to secure the price for their group.

Please do your due diligence, so when you receive the proposal and the agreement you will be able to make an intelligent decision.

If by chance, you still want us to assess you bills, to give you a price to compare, we will require12 months of your most recent utility bills.

There are no bills required, but we would still like to have one bill per meter on file to check account #’s, meter #’s  service addresses and other pertinent information incase there is a problem.

The term of the agreement is for 12 months. During this term period, you will have price protection against any energy price increases along with a low fixed kWh rate.

If you are interested in becoming part of this power purchase option, please contact Greg Cannon at the NJGCA.

Remember when you sign up your energy through the NJGCA Energy Program, TMP makes a considerable donation to the NJGCA Scholarship Fund through their proceeds. This has no affect on your rate, and costs you nothing out of pocket.

We hope to help hundreds of NJGCA members reduce their utility costs by participating in this and our other cost reduction programs.  Our purpose, in the endeavor, is to help NJGCA members lower their energy costs while supporting the NJGCA Scholarship Fund

Contact GREG CANNON at 973-376-0066 or email Greg at greg@njgca.org. Mention that you are interested in saving money on your energy bills. NJGCA & TMP Energy Solutions will handle all the rest. 

                                                                                                                                                                                 

POLITICAL PARTICIPATON: THE NJGCA PAC

DEFENDING OUR MEMBERS.
PROTECTING YOUR INTERESTS.
ANSWER THE CALL & CONTRIBUTE TODAY!!

Promoting our agenda in Trenton is of utmost importance to NJGCA and our members.

However, in order to truly affect the debate, we must ensure our friends in the Legislature are re-elected. It is for this reason that your Association has established the NJGCA PAC.

For too long, the weight of funding our Political Action Committee, the arm of the Association responsible for political donations, has rested upon a few. This is not only unfair to those few members who have shouldered this burden, but means we are not utilizing our full strength to affect the debate in Trenton.

To truly understand the importance of supporting our allies, consider our successes in Trenton:
  • We defeated BELOW COST SELLING
  • We made history in getting FIRST RIGHT OF REFUSAL signed into law!
  • We have built large support for RIGHT TO REPAIR and got it passed out of the Assembly
  • We defended your small business against the false accusations of Attorney General Anne Milgram
  • We gained wide support to move New Jersey to an all PIF Inspection System and close the CIF lanes

  • ...and MUCH MORE!!

In each instance, we achieved these goals with the help of our friends in the Legislature!

If every member contributes just $100.00 we will be able to provide the help necessary to ensure victory for our allies. 

PLEASE SEND YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO:
NJGCA PAC
66 Morris Avenue
Springfield, NJ 07081
Please make your donation payable to NJGCA PAC

I understand that times are tough for all NJGCA members, but this is just as important as any battle we have fought in the past.

We have made great progress in Trenton. I hope that you will answer the call. 

                                                                                                                                                                                 

THE MEMBER TOOL BOX

MEMBER SAVINGS PAGE
Check out all of our MBPs and Programs designed to SAVE YOU MONEY!

HELPFUL LINKS
Looking for something? Take a look at our list of useful links!

NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
Find all our communications and search for old e-newsletters. Take a look!

NEWS AROUND THE STATE ARCHIVE
Need to catch up on events? Want to see what's going on? Find out here!

 
 
Serving the small businesses that serve the motorist