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August 30, 2018

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:

• Magnusen-Moss: Send Me Examples; Plastic Bag/Straw Ban; Exxon Mobil Retail Fuel Payment Issues; Gas Station Operator Training Survey; Reminder: Young Professionals Kick-Off Event

NJGCA CLASSIFIEDS
- Monmouth County: Gas Station and Repair Shop Business Since 2001
- Bergen County: Shell Gas Station with 6-Bay Repair Shop for Sale

NEWS AROUND THE STATE
• AAA Sees US Average Gasoline Price Dipping To Around $2.70
• Toyota Invests $500 Million In Uber
• Skimming Concerns Drive Customer Behavior at the Pump
• Murphy Vetoes Plastic Bag Tax, Tells Lawmakers To Try Again
• California Lawmakers Vote To Restrict Use Of Plastic Straws, Keeping State In National Spotlight On Environment

TRAINING CLASS SCHEDULE!
??????• Emissions Inspector Training Class, WEDNESDAY September 19th, THURSDAY October 18th

MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER MESSAGE BOARD
• The Amato Agency: Garage Insurance and Workers Compensation!
• ATS Environmental: Confidence in your Tank & Compliance Testing
• Bellomo Fuel: Exceptional Service, Aggressive Petroleum Marketing
• CBIZ Insurance: Our Business is Growing Yours!
• Gill Energy: Getting you There!
• Lending Capital: "Commercial Loans Made Easy" Program
• Salomone Brothers: Tank Testing and Environmental Compliance
• 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!

Energy Information Agency Weekly Retail Gasoline Prices

JOIN NJGCA ON FACEBOOK -- CLICK HERE
TO SEE OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL -- CLICK HERE
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER-- CLICK HERE

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE:

MAGNUSEN-MOSS: SEND ME EXAMPLES
PLASTIC BAG/STRAW BAN UPDATE
EXXON MOBIL RETAIL FUEL PAYMENT ISSUES
GAS STATION OPERATOR TRAINING SURVEY
REMINDER: YOUNG PROFESSIONALS KICK-OFF EVENT

Several weeks ago, I asked for repair shop owners to send me examples of occasions when customers brought their car to the dealer because they were under the impression that if they brought their car to you for service while it was still under warranty, it would void their warranty. I cannot stress to you how helpful this information will be and I am asking you once again to please send me some examples. Please read this article as it backs up the need for the effort we are making for manufacturers to notify new car buyers that their warranty will not be voided if they bring their car to you for routine service and repairs.

Following up on what I mentioned last week about plastic bags, NJGCA has been reluctantly supporting a bill that was sitting on Gov. Murphy’s desk that would have imposed a 5¢ per bag fee that you would charge your customers at the time of sale. You would have also been permitted to keep one penny out of those five that you collect. In most instances, this would only amount to $30-40 a month, however, we supported this bill because it would stop an outright ban on plastic bags and also prevent any more municipal governments from imposing such a ban within their borders. Environmental groups strongly opposed this compromised legislation and Gov. Murphy in fact did veto the bill. Environmental groups are ecstatic, as this will pave the way for a new piece of legislation to be passed that will ban outright the use of plastic bags and likely impose a fee on paper bags. I attended a hearing last week held by a joint committee of the Assembly and Senate Environmental Committees. The hearing was an all-out assault focused on banning plastic bags and straws, as well as Styrofoam containers. I was barely even treated politely and was completely outnumbered. Here’s an example of what I was up against:

Click here for media coverage of this hearing that include quotes of my testimony:
News of pending bag tax veto hailed at hearing on plastic waste
Forget the Bag Tax – Push in NJ to Ban Plastic Bags, Straws
With veto coming of plastic-bag fee bill, will ban take its place?

For all Exxon Mobil dealers, we have learned that there has been some issues regarding use of the Exxon Mobil loyalty cards that are resulting in delayed or non-payment to you. There seems to be some kind of a glitch in the Exxon Mobil credit card system. Please contact me if you are having any issues.

We continue to get calls here at the office from members who are still not clear about their responsibilities regarding operator training and the new testing requirements by NJDEP of their USTs. I still can’t get a grasp on how many of you are not working to comply with the requirements by the deadline of October 13th. We are trying here at NJGCA to do our best to keep you out of trouble. That is why on Monday I had a survey sent to you to help me ascertain these facts. If you have not completed the survey, please do so now, you can access the survey by clicking HERE.

For those of you that have young motivated people working in your shops and/or stations, or anticipate handing your business over to the next generation down the line, we are excited to announce that our Young Professionals group will be having a fall kick-off event on Monday, September 17th at Red Rock’s rooftop bar area from 6-8 PM. This is an excellent opportunity to network with other people with similar interests and for us to learn what new ideas, technologies, and opportunities are coming down the line which could potentially further our businesses and the industry. If you know of someone who might be interested in attending, please send them our registration page to sign up! For any of our MBPs that would be interested in sponsoring, please email either Michelle or Eric at michelle@njgca.org or eric@njgca.org for more information.

That's all for this week-
Sal Risalvato
Executive Director

TRAINING CLASSES!!
All classes held at NJGCA HQ -- 4900 Route 33 West, Wall Township, NJ 07753

Emissions Inspector Training Class - One Day Only!
WEDNESDAY, September 19th, 2018 -- 7 AM to 3 PM
OR
THURSDAY, October 18th, 2018 -- 7 AM to 3 PM
Want one of your technicians to become a NJ Emissions Inspector? We can help! Our one-day class will provide all the information for becoming a NJ Emissions Inspector, and the State will administer the written test the very same day at our offices! We are offering the class: Wednesday, September 19th and Thursday, October 18th from 7:00am to 3:00pm.
Cost is $275 for members.
Click HERE for September and HERE for October registration forms

FUTURE CLASSES WILL BE ADDED UPON REQUEST AND ACCORDING TO DEMAND. CONTACT DEBBIE at 732-256-9646 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!!

CLASSIFIEDS! -- FOR SALE & HELP WANTED ADS

FOR SALE:

Business For Sale: Monmouth County gas station and repair shop in business since 2001 is for sale. Owner is relocating out of state and is interested in selling business and equipment. Owner is open to limited financing. Business has a strong 10 year lease. The building has two repair bays and the gas pumps are leased to a large independent tenant. Repair shop business currently employs a Manager and two full-time Technicians. For inquiries and more info, please call Mark at 908-670-7798.

FOR SALE:

Shell Gas Station with 6-Bay Repair Shop for Sale in Bergen County!

Business established in 1980. Fully equipped repair shop with 5 lifts including an alignment rack with a 2-year-old Hunter Hawkeye alignment machine. New Hunter tire machine & wheel balancer. AAA approved and very busy.

Towing business also available which includes 3 Freightliner/JerrDan flatbeds (2015, 2016 & 2017), a 2012 Dodge crew cab wrecker with a Jerrdan Quick Pick & dual cable winch & 2 service trucks (a 2012 GMC 2500 utility truck with a plow & a 2014 Ford transit battery/service vehicle).

Pumping over 1,000,000 gallons per year. 100x300 lot with plenty of parking. Excellent location!!! Call Jim @ 201-851-3084.

NEWS AROUND THE STATE: THE NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW

8/29/18
AAA Sees US Average Gasoline Price Dipping To Around $2.70
Steady oil prices and the end of strong summer demand should start pushing gasoline prices down. The auto club AAA predicts that the national average will drop 14 cents to $2.70 a gallon this fall. The current average of $2.84 is up 46 cents from a year ago, but down from the peak national average of $2.96 a gallon in May. AAA says motorists in the West and in Pennsylvania and Connecticut pay even more — over $3.

8/27/18
Toyota Invests $500 Million In Uber
The automaker announced on Monday that it is investing $500 million in Uber and working more closely with the company to accelerate the development and deployment of self-driving vehicles. Uber plans to retrofit Toyota Sienna minivans with its autonomous technology and begin real-world testing in 2021. The deal gives Toyota a key partner in a field that is growing rapidly, and comes on the same day that four of the automaker's suppliers announced a partnership to develop some of the software underpinning autonomous vehicles. . . Automakers and tech companies continue scrambling to position themselves for a future in which car ownership gives way to mobility as a service. That's led to a growing number of partnerships as companies like Toyota realize they don't know much about ridesharing and companies like Uber discover that building cars is hard. Other tech and auto companies have forged similar arrangements. Waymo, for example, buys vehicles from Chrysler and Jaguar Land Rover.

8/27/18
Skimming Concerns Drive Customer Behavior at the Pump
CompareCards by LendingTree released the findings of its survey on how Americans are reacting to the growing threat of gas skimming. Gas skimming is a growing threat to consumers at the gas pump — so much so that it has made an impact on how Americans pay for gas, according to a survey commissioned by CompareCards of American consumers who had purchased gasoline in the last 30 days. . . Among the findings, 15% of Americans have been impacted by skimming at the gas pump. Forty-three percent of Americans said they’ve changed the way they pay for gas because of skimming concerns.

8/27/18
Murphy Vetoes Plastic Bag Tax, Tells Lawmakers To Try Again
Try again. That's the message that Gov. Phil Murphy is sending to state lawmakers after vetoing a proposed fee on plastic and paper single-use shopping bags in New Jersey. Murphy announced Monday morning he vetoed bill, which would have placed a five-cent fee on single-use plastic and paper bags handed out by retailers statewide. The money collected by the fee would have been placed in a new fund administered by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to help pay for lead abatement projects. In his statement on the veto, Murphy made it clear that he didn't think the bill went far enough. He called the issue a "critical policy area" and detailed the environmental threats posed by plastic waste, from clogging urban water infrastructure to littering New Jersey's parks and beaches.

8/23/18
California Lawmakers Vote To Restrict Use Of Plastic Straws, Keeping State In National Spotlight On Environment

California is poised to become the first state to restrict the distribution of plastic straws at restaurants under a bill approved Thursday by lawmakers, capturing the attention of environmentalists nationwide who hope the idea, like many with origins in the Golden State, will spread across the nation. The legislation, which would prohibit full-service, dine-in restaurants from offering plastic straws to customers unless they are requested, passed on a 45-20 vote by the Assembly and now goes to Gov. Jerry Brown for his signature. Stopping short of an outright ban, environmentalists say they expect the bill will again make the state — which represents the world’s fifth largest economy — a trendsetter.

MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER MESSAGE BOARD:

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 require 12 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 732-256-9646 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 PARTICIPATION: 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
4900 Route 33 West, Suite 100
Wall Township, NJ 07753
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.

Energy Information Agency Weekly Retail Gasoline Prices

Each week, the Energy Information Administration publishes a list of average gasoline prices for the previous three weeks. NJGCA will begin including this list with the Weekly Road Warrior. Remember, these prices are reflective of self-serve everywhere except NJ.