December 20, 2013

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

Here is what you will find in this edition:

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

RIGHT TO REPAIR PASSES GENERAL ASSEMBLY

STAGE II VAPOR RECOVERY SURVEYS FOR NJ D.E.P

UPDATE ON GENERATOR GRANT PROGRAM

Great News!  We have achieved another victory in our fight to pass Right to Repair legislation in New Jersey.  On Thursday, the General Assembly approved Right to Repair with 58 YES votes, 15 NO votes & 6 abstentions.  The bill had bipartisan support and received significantly more votes than in previous sessions when it passed the Assembly by a slimmer margin. We are very fortunate that this legislation has the unwavering support of its Assembly sponsors, Assemblymen Gusciora and Moriarty. When the bill was first heard in the Assembly Consumer Affairs Committee, Chairman Moriarty made it very clear that, one way or another, he would ensure that car manufacturers provide independent mechanics with the information that they need to repair their customers' cars.  The car manufacturers continue to insist that they will produce a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) declaring that they will comply with the terms of the Massachusetts Right to Repair legislation on a national scale, which would therefore eliminate the need for NJ or any other state to further pursue this legislation.

Up to this point, the car manufacturers have not held up their end of the bargain, and although we are thrilled at the Assembly's passage of Right to Repair legislation, there is still no official version introduced in the Senate. This legislation will likely not complete the legislative process by the end of this session, which is January 14, 2014 at 12:00 noon. However, we will have the bill reintroduced immediately at 12:01 PM on January 14th, and luckily for us, we will have the opportunity to make some changes to the bill, which will include stronger language to cover commercial vehicles and heavy-duty trucks, as many of our members have commercial accounts and regularly service these vehicles. As always, we will keep you informed of the progress that the bill makes in the new session, and we will let you know when we need YOUR help and support to make this legislation a reality.

Moving onto the Stage II Vapor Recovery Survey that you should have received a number of times in your inbox...  DEP has specifically requested this information, and these are THEIR questions. I don't know where this is all going, and I don't know what the ramifications will be... However, many of you have been asking, "If other states can eliminate Stage II, why can't New Jersey?" We have been looking into this for the past two years. You may remember that I've written you several times in the last few years about this issue, but also indicated that there's a potential downside that's still unknown, because DEP has stated that if Stage II is eliminated there may be a costly dismantling of the system that is required, OR continued maintenance of a fully-operable system under the current compliance regulations. I don't have a clue what the result will be... Right now we are in the information-gathering phase, and your participation is required.  Please follow the instructions on the survey and if you haven't done so already click HERE to access the survey.

Lastly, we have an update on the Generator Grant Program that the Governor announced in late October. The program will launch in the first week of the New Year!  That will begin a 6-week application process for all stations who are on the approved list and meet the eligibility requirements for the program. For those 272 locations that are on the approved list, you will soon be receiving a joint letter signed by myself and Michele Brown, Chief Operating Officer of the NJ Economic Development Authority, providing you with additional information & application instructions.

Many of you have indicated that you would like to be added to the list. You must understand that I had zero input regarding the qualifications and criteria for those stations that were selected to be on the original list. I am making no promises, but I would like to make an effort to include others, especially if the entire $7 million fund is not depleted during the first solicitation of applications, which is open for six weeks.  So, if you have an interest, this is what you must do...Please follow these instructions exactly.

Email Eric Blomgren (eric@njgca.org) with the following information, in this order:

1. Your name

2. Your station's name, address and phone number

4. Your personal cell phone number

5. The best email address to contact you at

ALSO INLCUDE...

1. The storage capacity at your station for gasoline

2. The storage capacity at your station for diesel.

3. The distance to the nearest major highway

4. The distance to the Garden State Parkway, New Jersey Turnpike, Atlantic City Expressway or any evacuation route/

Again, I am not making any promises other than I will try to get you on the list. I cannot promise what the result will be, but I can promise that I will make the effort.  Be prepared that there may not be any consideration of other locations until the initial 6 week enrollment application period ends.

Thanks for reading -- See you next week!

Regards,
Sal Risalvato
Executive Director

CLASSIFIEDS! -- FOR SALE & HELP WANTED ADS 

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! 

NJGCA also assists members in selling equipment through the placement of advetisments in Road Warrior!

• 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!      

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!

NEWS AROUND THE STATE: THE NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW

12/18/2013:
Newark City Council strengthens paid sick leave bill
On Wednesday night, Newark's City Council strengthened a bill to allow paid sick leave for private workers. The measure would allow most workers to earn one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours of work. The council approved key changes to the bill, including expanding the definition of a family member for whose care one can take an earned sick day to include siblings. Also, employees can enforce their rights under the law by going to municipal court if their rights are violated, and the Department of Child and Family Well-Being has the power to enforce the law. Before the vote, workers and advocates representing a coalition of civic organizations, labor unions, and community leaders rallied at City Hall in support of the proposal. They testified before the council about the public health and economic benefits of guaranteeing earned sick days for workers. While it didn't appear that there was much opposition to the bill, it's important for business owners to understand how this will affect them. There's also a proposal in the State legislature that NJGCA is watching closely and will impact every one of you.
 
 
12/18/2013:
Nine-Step Rulemaking Process and FDA Tobacco Regs
The FDA is currently on Step Four of a nine-step process to propose and adopt new rules and regulations on other tobacco products, which may include cigars, pipe tobacco, electronic cigarettes and/or hookah tobacco. Step Four is a review of the proposed FDA tobacco rule and regulations by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Generally, under Step Four, the OMB only reviews those proposed rules or regulations that are determined to be significant. Although the process is at Step Four, the FDA has already taken 3 other steps regarding the proposed tobacco regulations. Please read the article to find out more information about this process and how these changing tobacco regulations could impact you and your business.
 
12/17/2013:
U.S. foresees gas-powered vehicles dominating through 2040
The Energy Department is predicting that gasoline-powered vehicles will continue to dominate the market through 2040. The Energy Information Agency said in a report on Tuesday that it also predicts a big rise in the fuel economy of the nation’s cars and trucks. It predicts the fuel efficiency of the nation’s cars and trucks will rise from 21.5 mpg in 2012 to 37.2 mpg by 2040. Overall energy consumption by the nation’s transportation sector is expected to fall by about 4%. The agency predicts that in 2040, 78% of all cars and trucks will run on gasoline, down from 82% last year. It predicts a big upswing in micro-hybrids and other advanced fuel technologies to 42% of all vehicles by 2040.  EIA predicts full hybrids will account for 5% of vehicles in 2040 -- up from 3% today. Diesel vehicles will double to 4% from the current 2%. And it predicts just 1% of total sales will be plug-in hybrids and 1% full electric vehicles in 2040. These are important statistics to know as you plan for the future of your business. Please click on the link to read the full article.

12/17/2013:

AmeriHealth New Jersey is latest insurer to pass on ability to renew plans that have been cancelled by Obamacare

On Tuesday, AmeriHealth New Jersey became the third health insurer in the state to announce that it will not renew individual and small group plans for 2014 that are not ACA-compliant. Last month, President Obama gave insurers the option of extending old, non-compliant plans through 2014, and the state Department of Banking and Insurance gave the insurers permission to extend those plans if they chose. No one is choosing to do so. Both Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and Aetna said earlier this month they will not renew non-ACA compliant plans. Obama gave insurers the option of extending those non-compliant policies for one year in an effort to quell a political firestorm: Despite the president's pledge that Americans who like their insurance plans could keep them, thousands of Americans have gotten cancelation notices from insurers as they replace the old, non-compliant health plans with new ones that meet the new, higher coverage standards of the ACA.  As more information about insurance coverage comes to light in future weeks and months, please consider calling Association Master Trust for a quote.  Contact NJGCA at 973-376-0066 for more info.

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

FUTURE CLASSES 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.