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July 19, 2013 Here is what you will find in this edition:
JOIN NJGCA ON FACEBOOK -- CLICK HERE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE: GREETINGS & SAL-UTATIONS!
LUKOIL DEALERS MEETING In response to LUKOIL North America's continued anti-competitive pricing schemes, we arranged a meeting of Lukoil dealers on Tuesday. Issues still remain with Lukoil dealers and the uncompetitive DTW that they are forced to pay. It creates great economic stress for both the station owners AND the consumers, who are subject to higher prices at the pumps. You may remember that last year we organized Lukoil dealers and held a one-day protest where most dealers raised their prices to $10.00 a gallon. Dealers are anxious to continue with further protests and demonstrations against Lukoil because a year later the issue is still unresolved. At Tuesday's meeting we discussed a variety of options and proposals about what action to take. I will keep you informed as things progress. It is no secret that pump prices are rising again. This usually means that the press tracks me down to ask me for my thoughts. While conducting Tuesday's LUKOIL dealers meeting, NJTV came to interview me about rising gas prices. The reporter also requested to interview one of our members and it just so happened that we had a room full of them. They also interviewed NJGCA member Roger Verma. The reason that you are seeing the volatility in the market for the last few weeks is simple: usually speculators drive the price up when they anticipate supply and demand market conditions that will be favorable for a price increase. Presently, the actual supply and demand ratio, coupled with angst regarding the political situation in Egypt, have caused wholesale prices to rise $0.30 over the past three weeks. Nationwide, inventories of crude oil and gasoline are down a little bit, not drastically, but a bit. At the same time, demand has seen a slight uptick, which is in contrast to the sluggish demand that we have seen over the last year. This combination is a recipe for sharply rising prices. I have to repeat what you have all heard me say many times, “the best remedy for gas prices IS high gas prices” and I have a lot of confidence that after the prices rise another 15 to 20 cents, you'll begin to see sharp declines. Probably by mid-fall or sooner, and certainly by the end of the year, prices will be lower than they are now. To watch the interview segment, please CLICK HERE. IMPORTANT MESSAGE - FYI here's some critical information that you need to know. Thank you Mike Vanderslice from Environmental Alliance for sending this reminder to our members. Last month, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) issued a Compliance Alert letter to responsible parties, notifying them to complete a Remedial Investigation (RI) before May 7, 2014. Please do not ignore this NJDEP letter, or wait until the last minute. We encourage you to contact your Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP) immediately, and find out the status of your case. If you have already completed this RI work and you have received a letter, then you should notify the NJDEP by submitting proof as outlined in the Compliance Alert letter as soon as possible. NJGCA maintains member benefit partners whom can assist you if you do not have a LSRP, or if you wish to consult with a new LSRP. The Site Remediation Reform Act (N.J.S.A. 58:10C-1 et seq.) requires the Remedial Investigation for: • all discharges / contaminated areas of concern (CAOCs) at a site where the contamination was identified on or before May 7, 1999; and/or • all discharges / CAOCs at a site where the contamination should have been identified due to an obligation to complete a preliminary assessment and/or site investigation on or before May 7, 1999. Please note that per the statute, NJDEP is required to undertake direct oversight of a remediation of certain contaminated sites when the person responsible for conducting the remediation fails to complete the remedial investigation of an entire contaminated site on or before May 7, 2014. Additional information is available HERE. In legislative news, I testified on Thursday in front of the Senate Environment & Energy Committee in support of a bill that would encourage a more widespread use of Biofuel based Heating Oil. Although this isn't necessarily our fight, it does have an effect on us ultimately in terms of the marketplace for diesel fuel -- and then it becomes our issue. This is also an important issue to our friends at FMANJ, and a matter of great personal interest for me. The bill was voted successfully out of committee and now heads to a vote by the full Senate.
Finally, a reminder about the Parson's Communication Package that has been discussed in recent Road Warriors. The deadline to send in your completed packet is July 31, 2013. Please CLICK HERE to find the correct forms to fill out.
Regards,
BUSINESS FOR SALE!
Do you have a business for sale? Are you looking for a new location or opportunity? 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
07/17/2013:
TRAINING CLASSES!! 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 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.
Promoting our agenda in Trenton is of utmost importance to NJGCA and our members.
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: 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
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