 |
||
 |
January 18, 2013
Here is what you will find in this edition:
CLASSIFIEDS!
NEWS AROUND THE STATE
TRAINING CLASS SCHEDULE
MEET THE FOLKS AT LIBERTY GAS
MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER MESSAGE
ENVIRONMENTAL INNOVATIONS FOR SERVICE STATIONS
JOIN NJGCA ON FACEBOOK -- CLICK HERE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE: GREETINGS & SAL-UTATIONS!
COMPLIANCE CALENDARS,
HURRICANE SANDY RELIEF FUNDS,
PUBLIC RESPONDS TO PLASTIC BAG LEGISLATION, AND MANDATORY GENERATORS
Before I really get into this week’s message, I want to get a quick housekeeping item out of the way. We’ve received a steady stream of phone calls this week asking for the new DEP Compliance calendars. We haven’t had any in stock since DEP usually takes a few weeks to print and delivery the calendars to us after the New Year. Thankfully, a shipment of calendars arrived only yesterday! I know that many of you are eager to get one and our Membership Director, Greg Cannon, will have them in the mail in the next few days. I don’t have to tell you that these calendars are a valuable tool for gasoline retailers, helping small business owners to keep track of their environmental obligations. The idea is simple: Do what you are obligated to do each day of the month, build a compliance record, and you can prevent DEP from coming to your station with hefty fines in hand. So please, when you receive your calendar, make sure to make full use of it and shield your business from any unneeded penalties. If any gasoline retailer hasn’t received a compliance calendar in a week please contact us at 973-376-0066. We are now months removed from the ravaging of Hurricane Sandy, and while the effects of the storm can still be seen and felt in our communities, the recovery is underway. After a series fits and starts, the U.S. House of Representatives finally approved a bill that would provide relief to the victims of Hurricane Sandy earlier this week. The bill provides over $50 billion in funding to help communities in New Jersey and New York recover and rebuild. It must now go before the U.S. Senate for approval. While we’re still digesting all the details in the bill, it’s important to note that this relief package will help residents and businesses in the years ahead. I said years because that’s how long many expect it will take to fully recover from the storm. What’s more, there is money in the bill to help improve infrastructure and emergency response systems so that, when the next hurricane or natural disaster occurs, people can be evacuated more efficiently. As late as these funds are in getting here, it will undoubtedly be a welcome relief to your customers, loyal patrons, and the communities you work and reside in. Those individuals are the lifeblood of your business; making them whole will only help you and your business in the months and years ahead. That feel-good, over-burdensome, and unnecessary plastic bag tax bill is still in the public’s eye. The editorial we circulated to the press last week has gained some attention and was even seen in the Trenton Times. What’s more, the public doesn’t seem to like it either. A new opinion poll reports that, by a 60% margin, residents don’t want to pay more for each plastic bag. And that opinion is only reflective of the additional costs customers will have to pay up front for each bag they use – it doesn’t even taken into account the ancillary costs they’ll have to (unknowingly) pay on the back end. I wonder how that poll would have gone down if people knew that the business owner would have to comply with regulations requiring them to make an inventory of every plastic bag used at their business – with the added operational costs only being passed onto them? Speaking of legislation, the many proposals in Trenton seeking to make generators a mandatory fixture at gasoline stations is now being considered by municipal governments across New Jersey. Recently, Bernards Township in Somerset County proposed an ordinance to do just that. I caught wind of the ordinance and wrote the Township Council to express our concerns on the ordinance and how it could negatively impact retail gasoline locations within the town. Many of you reading that may think that writing the Council was a waste of time. However, looking at it strategically, you’d understand why I did. Having Trenton consider legislation that can harm your business is tough enough; but when the state’s 565 municipalities all begin to consider the same idea individually, it can create an even bigger problem. I’m pleased to say that the letter I wrote to the Council didn’t go unheeded or just get filed away. Rather, the letter was read to the Council members as they deliberated on whether to adopt the ordinance. Ultimately the idea was rejected as the members felt the ordinance could harm stations in town and lead to higher gasoline prices. You can read an article on this by CLICKING HERE. Luckily I was alerted about the Bernards situation on the very day of the council meeting. Although I have several paid services that NJGCA subscribes to in order to give me alerts and alarms when legislation is introduced or acted upon in Trenton, I do not have such a service to alert me when a local municipality may be considering something stupid. It is up to YOU to alert me, and I am asking you all to pay attention and contact me if you hear anything dumb brewing in your town. While the elected officials in Bernards Township ultimately realized the effect such an ordinance could have, will other towns be as understanding? There’s no way to tell, but now that municipal officials are considering this idea, this issue won’t be going away anytime soon. If things start to get wacky on every town or borough council around the state, you may find me asking each of you to attend your next council meeting to educate your local officials on how such an idea could harm you and your patrons.
Thanks for reading – See you next week!
Regards,
BUSINESS FOR SALE! 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 month, 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
01/17/2013:
State gains 30,000 jobs in December In what is the largest employment jump ever for a single month, New Jersey gained more than 30,000 jobs in December. Most gains were found in the construction, transportation, and utility sectors of the economy, while public sector jobs declined. The state’s unemployment rate dropped a tenth of a percent to 9.6 percent, making 2012 the most successful job growth-year in a decade. 01/15/2013: Opinion: Property tax reforms starting to reduce overall taxpayer burden A Star-Ledger editorial this week discussed the issue of property taxes and how the state saw local taxes rise by the smallest amount in two decades thanks to bipartisan reforms on key issues like collective bargaining and a 2% property tax cap. While there is still work to be done, there is definite improvement. Click above to read the entire piece. 01/14/2013: Adopting pay-by-mile fee re-emerges, could create huge revenue stream As vehicles become more efficient and gasoline tax revenues fall, the continuing debate over adopting a ‘pay-by-mile’ tax to replace or eliminate the gas tax rages on. The gas tax is primarily used to update and maintain the nation’s infrastructure. Recent numbers from the Government Accountability Office say that adopting such a tax scheme would essentially boost revenues by 250%. Such a boost could mean that drivers would pay a 2.2¢ for every mile they driver versus the 0.9¢ they pay today. Click above to read more on how the pay-by-mile tax could impact motorists. 01/08/2013: Natural gas gets a boost from “fiscal cliff” deal The price of compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) could drop thanks to language buried within the recent passage of the “fiscal cliff” deal. That legislation, officially known as the American Taxpayer Relief Act, included tax-credit extensions for natural gas products. As the popularity of CNG cars, trucks, and equipment rises among motorists and fleet-vehicles, Congress hopes to encourage even more drivers to switch to the domestically-sourced alternative fuel. Click above to read more.
TRAINING CLASSES!!
In order to be licensed as a Motor Vehicle Emission Inspector, you must complete this course and pass a “Written Exam” given by the State of New Jersey. NJGCA offers this training in a ONE DAY State approved training program that will provide an understanding of inspection related issues including EPA Regulations, Safety, Diesel, Customer Service and the New Jersey State Specific Curriculum. This specially tailored NJGCA course fulfills all requirements. 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
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
MEMBER SAVINGS PAGE |
|
 |
||
