12/22/21 Want to Buy a Car? You Might Have to Get on a Plane to Claim It The shortage of computer chips, in large part caused by decisions made in the early days of the pandemic, has rippled through the auto industry this year. Manufacturers have had to close plants for lack of parts, leaving car dealers with millions fewer vehicles to sell. As a result, car buyers have had to travel hundreds of miles to find the vehicles they want, give up on haggling and accept higher prices, and even snap up used cars that have been repaired after serious accidents. The supply squeeze coincides with an apparent increase in demand. Some people are trying to avoid mass transit or taxis. Others simply want a vehicle. Many families have saved thousands of dollars thanks in part to government benefits and stimulus payments and because they have been spending less on travel, restaurant meals and other luxuries that have fallen by the wayside because of health concerns. 12/22/21 C-Stores Can Save Big on Energy Costs by Going Solar There are many benefits to using solar energy-one of the greatest is that it can save money. It can also help in emergency situations, and it's a visible environmentally friendly signal to your community. This week's episode of Convenience Matters talks about the benefits, challenges and processes to getting started with solar. . . With most convenience stores being open 24 hours a day, can solar panels supply these businesses with enough power? Vincent's company can take the longitude and latitude of a location and project the amount of energy it would receive from solar-guaranteed. 12/21/21 EPA Raises Fuel Efficiency Standard for 2026 Vehicle Models The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) yesterday released final standards setting a new fuel efficiency standard for passenger cars and light-duty trucks, reports the Wall Street Journal. Auto manufacturers must meet a fleetwide average of 55 miles a gallon for cars and light trucks by model year 2026, up from the 43-miles-per-gallon standard set by the Trump Administration for that year. Vehicles that are model years 2023 to 2026 must reduce their greenhouse gas emissions between 5% and 10% each year. 12/21/21 N.J. Adopts California's Clean Truck Rules Meant to Reduce Number of Diesels on the Road State Environmental Protection officials adopted Advanced Clean Truck rules Monday that would make New Jersey the first east coast state to require phasing in of electric commercial trucks to reduce air pollution and the diseases it causes. The Advanced Clean Truck rule is modeled after regulations established in California and nearing adoption in several other states. The program is intended to increase the number of electric or zero-emissions trucks in the state. 12/21/21 N.J.'S Largest City Will Require Face Masks Indoors as COVID Cases Ramp Up New Jersey's largest city is now requiring face masks be worn indoors in all public settings - a step beyond current state requirements that "strongly recommend" coverings regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka made the mandate official hours after the state announced over 6,000 cases for the sixth consecutive day. 12/20/21 Appellate Court Allows OSHA Vaccine-or-Test Rule to Advance The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit on Friday lifted the stay that was preventing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) emergency rule from moving forward. The OSHA rule requires private-sector businesses with 100 or more employees to require their employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or to undergo weekly testing for the virus. In November, NACS filed suit to block the rule from going forward and is now joined by about two dozen business associations in that litigation. The NACS suit, along with one filed by multiple states, was originally filed in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, which entered a nationwide stay of the rule while the cases were being litigated. Those lawsuits, along with ones filed in every other U.S. circuit court of appeals, were consolidated into the 6th Circuit. 12/20/21 U.S. Gasoline Prices Fall a Little or A Lot, Depending Where You Are U.S. gasoline prices have dropped in time for the major holiday driving season, but not everyone around the country is feeling the same relief at the pump. . . Gasoline industry sources interviewed say the market's volatility has made filling station owners wary of lowering prices that they'd only have to raise again later. In some states, prices vary widely. Not all retail stations adjusted prices after wholesale gasoline prices dropped, said Sal Risalvato, executive director of New Jersey's Gasoline, C-Store, and Automotive Association. He said some association members were concerned about lower prices after having refilled inventories at a higher cost, potentially exposing them to losses. The average price of gasoline in New Jersey last week was $3.413, only 4 cents lower than a month ago. "Some of them might have lost $2,400, which is not a small amount for a station," he said. |
