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September 27, 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:

• Two Taxes Set to Increase 9/29 and 10/1; UST Deadlines Approaching, Are You in Compliance?; Repair Shops -- Update on Used Dealer Plates; Hurricane Florence Donations: Thank You

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
• Op-Ed: Don't Ban Plastic Straws: Risalvato
• Lawmakers Plan To Ban Plastic Carryout Bags, Straws, Food Containers
• Trump Has a Weapon to Lower Oil Prices and It’s Not His Twitter
• Murphy Pushes Plan To Save Property Tax Breaks. The IRS Doesn't Like It
• N.J. Could Soon Reduce The Cost Of Your Commute With This Tax Benefit
• OPEC Signals No Rush to Increase Oil Output
• Amazon Could Open 3,000 C-stores

TRAINING CLASS SCHEDULE!
??????• Emissions Inspector Training Class, WEDNESDAY September 19th, THURSDAY October 18th, THURSDAY December 6th
??????• FULL Emissions Inspector Training Class: October 8, 10, 15, 24, 29, 31, November 5, 7, 19, 26, December 3
??????• Emission Inspector Training RECERTIFICATION: November 7, 19, 26, December 3

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

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE:

TWO TAXES SET TO INCREASE 9/29 AND 10/1
UST DEADLINES APPROACHING, ARE YOU IN COMPLIANCE?
REPAIR SHOPS--UPDATE ON USED DEALER PLATES
HURRICANE FLORENCE DONATIONS: THANK YOU

We are faced with a bunch of upcoming deadlines in the next couple of weeks, the first of which are two taxes that you must begin charging for in the next few days. If you have a convenience store and sell e-cigarettes and any vaping products, then you must begin charging 10 cents per milliliter of vaping fluid containing nicotine. Not only do you have to increase the price, but you must take inventory at midnight as you will owe that tax on any product you already have in stock. The tax that is owed will be due on October 20th, click HERE for the form that must be filed and click HERE for the official notice on the tax. Any questions on the new law can be emailed to Tobacco.tax@treas.nj.gov. Do not forget to begin charging for this tax on September 29th as you will be responsible for paying it regardless.

The other more highly publicized tax requires you to begin charging for this tax increase on October 1st. Any gas deliveries you receive beginning October 1st will include an additional 4.3 cents in gas taxes (this also includes diesel). You will not be liable to pay the tax on product that you already have in inventory.

The next deadline that you will be faced with is on October 13th. Every UST location must have a Class A/B Operator identified on the UST registration by this date. I know many of you have already taken the test, and some of you are making arrangements to retake the test a second or even third time. NJDEP has indicated that they will NOT have any leniency or grace if a location does not identify a Class A/B operator by the compliance date. If you do not have either yourself or an employee that has passed the test and been identified on your registration as a Class A/B operator, then you must find someone who has passed the test and would be willing to be listed on your UST registration. No, I do not have any suggestions, we have already approached a number of companies who already perform your compliance testing and they have indicated that they are NOT willing to accept the liability that will come if they are named on your registration as your Class A/B operator. If you are friendly with a competitor who has passed the exam, you can ask them to be named on your registration, and of course pay them a monthly fee. If any of you would be willing to be listed as a Class A/B operator for others, please contact me and let me know the fee that you will charge, as I am sure that there are plenty of locations that will be unable to comply by the October 13th deadline.

October 13th is also the deadline for you to meet the new UST regulations that require testing of your sumps, containment, and interstitial monitoring. Again, there will not be any extensions on this deadline. Many of you have asked, why doesn't NJGCA fight to get us an extension? The answer is that we have been fighting along with our friends from FMANJ and our MBP professionals since last December to get NJDEP to recognize that an extension is needed. This began with a high level meeting at NJDEP LAST DECEMBER, and has continued right up through today. The battle has been ongoing and has never ceased. NJDEP’s position is clear: there has been ample warning and in many instances, retailers ignored even the pleas from their contractors to meet the testing and repair requirements in advance. Our phone has been ringing off the hook for two months trying to assist those of you who still need to pass operator training and meet the UST requirements. As of now, NJDEP has shown no interest in extending the October 13th deadline. I am fearful that those of you that do not comply will be faced with very steep fines and even delivery bans being placed on your location until a Class A/B operator can be listed on your UST registration. I am anticipating a nightmare for those of you who have not complied.

Some of you have been requesting the new 30 day walkthrough form, it was just made available to us last Friday. We now have it posted on our website, and you can click HERE to view and print this form. You can find more information on this in the document on our website titled “New Regulations on Operation and Maintenance Walkthrough Inspection Checklist.”

For repair shops with dealer plates: a few weeks ago it was brought to my attention that NJMVC is sending out letters to many of our shop owners that also have used car licenses and dealer plates. The letters state that you are not selling enough used cars and must relinquish your plates. Since I sent that message to you, I have received many phone calls on the matter. It seems as if MVC is sending out a new batch of these letters every week. If you have already received a letter, or if you do receive a letter in the upcoming weeks, please contact me. Many of the members that have already contacted me do not wish to give up their plates and we plan to intervene and fight on their behalf. Do not delay once you have received this letter.

Thank you to those of you who responded to our appeal to help NJGCA member Amit Patel who has already delivered much needed supplies to the Hurricane Florence ravaged state of North Carolina. Our appeal mentioned that Amit is planning a second trip and that he is leaving tomorrow, September 28th. I want to extend a special thank you member Jasbir Chandi, who stopped by with a $2,000 contribution that Amit is using for even more supplies. There are also thanks to many of you who have sent checks ranging from $50 to $300 and have taken the time to collect and drop off supplies to our HQ. You are all proof of what I tell legislators -- that NJGCA members are an integral part of their communities and always step up with their generosity. Click HERE to read a press release that I sent last week on Amit’s efforts.

L to R: NJGCA member Jack Atemeh (with the help of his partners from Eisenhower Exxon) and MBP & NJGCA Young Professionals group member Kevin Myers (Environmental Alliance, also with the help of colleagues) and their donations for Hurricane Florence victims in North Carolina.

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
THURSDAY, October 18th, 2018 -- 7 AM to 3 PM
THURSDAY, December 6th, 2048 -- 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, Thursday, October 18th, and Thursday, December 6th from 7:00am to 3:00pm.
Cost is $275 for members.
Click HERE for September, HERE for October, and HERE for December registration forms

FULL ETEP Training Classes & Recertification
Sections 1-7
October 8, 10, 15, 24, 29, 31 [TBD],
November 5
Sections 8, 9, 10 (RECERTIFICATION)
November 7, 19, 26
December 3
1 PM to 9 PM

Stop turning away work!!
The New Jersey Inspection Program requires vehicles that fail emissions inspection to go to a Licensed Certified Emission Repair Facility and have a Licensed Emission Repair Technician perform the repairs! When the new Emissions Inspection program begins, a list of Certified Emission Repair Facilities will be given to the vehicle owners who fail the New Jersey Emission Inspection. If you want your business name on the list – make sure you have a Certified Licensed Emission Repair Technician and you are licensed as a Emission Repair Facility!
Full ETEP class fees for members are $2,195 and non-members are &2,395
Recertification fees for members are $729 and non-members are $879.
Click HERE for registration form.

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

9/27/18
Op-Ed: Don't Ban Plastic Straws: Risalvato
The issue of how we, as a society, deal with the prevalence of single-use plastics is one that is growing in importance and has been at the center of a lot of media attention in the last few months. Convenience stores make frequent use of these types of plastics because they are, as the name implies, convenient. Now the Senate Environment Committee is moving a bill, S-2776, to ban a variety of these products. Of the different products, by far the most disruptive to my membership would be the plastic straw ban. I have even heard some advocates declare that a straw ban would be simpler than banning items like plastic bags and Styrofoam containers, but I disagree completely. There are alternatives available to fill the niches satisfied by those products (although they are more costly and less effective). But, at least for now, there is not a true alternative to the plastic straw.

9/26/18
Lawmakers Plan To Ban Plastic Carryout Bags, Straws, Food Containers
The state is looking to adopt one of the nation’s most far-reaching bills to address pollution caused from plastic waste. New Jersey lawmakers have drafted a bill to ban single-use carryout plastic bags but now want to extend the prohibition to plastic straws and polystyrene food containers. The legislation, up for consideration in committee tomorrow, also will impose a 10-cent fee on paper bags. That step, in concert with the ban on plastic bags, will encourage consumers to switch to reusable bags and more environmentally friendly alternatives, according to proponents. The fee on paper bags is double what shoppers would have had to pay under a bill vetoed last month by Gov. Phil Murphy. That measure would have imposed a nickel fee on both plastic and paper single-use bags. In rejecting the legislation, Murphy said it did not go far enough in addressing the threats posed by plastic bags, which frequently litter the landscape, harm wildlife, and foul state waterways.

9/25/18
Trump Has a Weapon to Lower Oil Prices and It’s Not His Twitter
Tweeting will only get you so far. After failing to cajole OPEC to pump more and lower oil prices, U.S. President Donald Trump could pursue a more direct route: tapping his nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve. And just as with his tweets, that may not lead him to his goal. With global benchmark Brent crude at a 4-year high above $80 a barrel less than two months before key mid-term elections in the U.S., the growing consensus in the industry is that it’s more a question of when, not if, Trump authorizes a release from the emergency stockpiles built after the 1973-74 oil crisis. “There’s a strong possibility of another strategic reserve release,’’ said Antoine Halff, head of the global oil market program at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy. “It’s a wild card that justifies close attention for the next few weeks.”

9/25/18
Murphy Pushes Plan To Save Property Tax Breaks. The IRS Doesn't Like It
Gov. Phil Murphy's administration is moving forward with a law to help New Jerseyans save at least part of a popular property tax break, even after the IRS largely rejected the effort. The state government has adopted regulations allowing New Jersey's municipalities, counties, and school districts to accept some tax bills as charitable donations to help residents get around a $10,000 limit on state and local tax deductions under President Donald Trump's recent federal tax overhaul, the state Department of Community Affairs announced Tuesday. Murphy, a Democrat, signed a law in May allowing the funds to fight back against the federal tax overhaul, which Republican-led Congress passed and Trump, a Republican, approved in December. The law allows local government to create charitable funds that residents can pay into instead of paying their taxes. In exchange for their donations, New Jersey homeowners can receive a 90 percent tax credit they could use against their local real estate tax bill.

9/25/18
N.J. Could Soon Reduce The Cost Of Your Commute With This Tax Benefit
It's been a rough year for New Jersey commuters. Now lawmakers want to help out -- with a tax benefit. The state Senate's budget committee on Monday approved a bill requiring most employers to offer pre-tax commuting benefits, which transit advocates hope will encourage ridership and save riders money. The bill (S1567) would mandate that employers with more than 20 employees, whose employee benefits are not collectively bargained, offer the benefit. The program works much like a tax-advantaged health savings account or dependent care flexible spending account, where employees can set aside pre-tax dollars to pay for qualified expenses while reducing their federal taxable income. The benefit is only available through employers. And state Sen. Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, who sponsored the bill, said she wants more workers to have the opportunity to take advantage of the savings.

9/23/18
OPEC Signals No Rush to Increase Oil Output
Oil producers led by Saudi Arabia and Russia signaled on Sunday that they did not see any rush to increase output, despite pressure from President Trump to pump more oil and hold down prices. Meeting in Algiers, officials from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allied governments, including Russia, said that after having increased production in recent months, customers now have adequate supplies. “Since June, Saudi Arabia has met the demand for every barrel that has been requested,” the Saudi oil minister, Khalid al-Falih, said at a news conference after the meeting. . . With oil prices recently hovering at around $80 a barrel for Brent crude, Mr. Trump has used Twitter and other means to lean on OPEC to increase oil supplies. His messages have mainly been directed at Saudi Arabia, the largest OPEC producer. Last week, Mr. Trump renewed his pressure. “We protect the countries of the Middle East, they would not be safe for very long without us, and yet they continue to push for higher and higher oil prices!” he wrote on Twitter on Thursday. “The OPEC monopoly must get prices down now!” Analysts say Mr. Trump wants to try to head off higher gasoline prices in the United States that could hurt Republican candidates in the coming midterm elections. “Sitting presidents in an election year have a proverbial fear of high oil prices,” Mr. Halff said.

9/20/18
Amazon Could Open 3,000 C-stores
On the heels of unveiling its first Amazon Go store in Chicago this week, Amazon.com Inc. is now considering scaling up with as many as 3,000 new cashierless Amazon Go stores, Bloomberg reports. The first three Amazon Go stores—two in Seattle and one in Chicago—feature “Just Walk Out” technology, including overhead cameras that track shoppers’ movements and the Amazon Go app. The stores provide ready-to-eat breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack foods, as well as Amazon’s Meal Kits. Earlier this year, the Seattle Times reported that Amazon Go is headed for San Francisco next. Adding 3,000 stores to its brand would make Amazon one of the largest c-store chains in the United States. Such an aggressive expansion would be expensive just from a construction standpoint, and stores’ operation costs—including the required cameras and monitoring equipment—would be high as well. A Bloomberg source familiar with the first Seattle Amazon Go store suggested that costs could be contained by limiting the stores’ product focus and emphasizing the convenience of the brick-and-mortar stores.

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.