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May 05, 2016

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:

GREETINGS & SAL-UTATIONS!

• Changes to Inspection Program Began May 1, 2016; Survey for Gas Stations on Cost of Attendants/Labor; Research Shows E-Cigs Pose Significantly Lower Health Rish; Great Breakfast Meeting in Bordentown This Week!

NJGCA CLASSIFIEDS

- NJGCA MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER GILL ENERGY LOOKING TO HIRE FOR (3) DIFFERENT POSITIONS

District Manager
Store Manager
Trucking Operations Manager

For more information, and to submit a resume, please contact: ravigill@gillenergy.com.

NEWS AROUND THE STATE

• The Continuing Legislative Debate Over Raising the Legal Age
• Gas station where employee was killed now facing $14K safety fines
• What’s the State of Gas Taxes?

TRAINING CLASS SCHEDULE!
• Emissions Inspector Training, Tuesday May 17, 2016
• ETEP Re-Cert (Sections 8, 9, 10) DAY and NIGHT Classes!

MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER MESSAGE BOARD
• ATS Environmental: Confidence in your Tank & Compliance Testing
• Bellomo Fuel: Exceptional Service, Aggressive Petroleum Marketing
• Gill Energy: Getting you There!
• 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!

*NEW*Energy Information Agency Weekly Retail Gasoline Prices

JOIN NJGCA ON FACEBOOK -- CLICK HERE

TO SEE OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL -- CLICK HERE

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE: GREETINGS & SAL-UTATIONS!

CHANGES TO INSPECTION PROGRAM BEGAN MAY 1, 2016
SURVEY FOR GAS STATIONS ON COST OF ATTENDANTS/LABOR
RESEARCH SHOWS E-CIGS POSE SIGNIFICANTLY LESS HEALTH RISK
GREAT BREAKFAST MEETING IN BORDENTOWN THIS WEEK

As you all should know, vehicles from 1995 and earlier with inspection stickers dated May 1, 2016 or after are no longer required to receive a tail-pipe emissions inspection. However, if the vehicle was due before May 1, 2016 and they are either past-due on their initial inspection, or they failed the initial inspection and have brought it back for re-inspection, you must conduct the tail-pipe test. Several members have reported to us that when they tried to do this inspection their equipment wouldn't allow it. The computer software simply skipped right over the screen where they should have been prompted to conduct the emissions test. We need to know if this happens to you so that we can make every effort to ensure that you aren't charged with violations and penalized. Please document any difficulties you have and call us immediately with the information.

Earlier this week I sent out a link to all members that sell gasoline, asking them to fill out a survey about their labor costs for their outside attendants (not mechanics, or c-store clerks, etc.) It seems like a bunch of people have clicked on the link and opened the survey, but they haven't answered the questions!! I encourage you to do so, because we really need to get this information and pass it along to the officials that requested it, so they can make informed policy decisions! This information will be used to help us advocate against the $15 per hour minimum wage and also to demonstrate how much the price of gas could decrease if self serve were permitted in NJ. CLICK HERE for the link.

We frequently discuss our efforts in municipalities across NJ to stop Town Councils and Mayors from raising the age to purchase tobacco to 21. However, we sometimes fail to explicitly mention that these regulations and ordinances often apply the same way to e-cigarettes and vaping products that they do to cigarettes and other tobacco products. Some municipalities (for example, West Orange), have gone even further in their efforts to rid their towns of e-cigarettes by imposing a $1,200 annual fee on any retailer who sells such products. E-cigarettes and vaping products are being lumped in with cigarettes and other tobacco products, when there is nearly NO evidence that vaping is anywhere near as dangerous as smoking or chewing tobacco. Of course, e-cigarettes are still fairly new on the market, and there is very little substantive data that has been collected, but we are confident that e-cigarettes and vaping are healthier alternatives to smoking and chewing tobacco. In fact, the Royal College of Physicians in London has recently released a statement on e-cigarettes, stating that e-cigarettes can lead to "significant falls in the prevalence of smoking, and prevent many deaths and episodes of serious illness." The RCP also "supports regulation of electronic cigarettes and other novel nicotine products as medicines." We hope that this strong position will help us in our fight to prevent further, excessive regulation of electronic cigarettes and vaping products.

Finally, we had a great breakfast meeting this week at Mastori's Diner in Bordentown. I always enjoy eating there, and I was so looking forward to seeing some of my good members and old friends who operate their shops in the area. Both the meal and the company lived up to my high expectations, and we had a great discussion about all of the issues currently impacting businesses in the State. We had a lively discussion regarding self-serve, and I even had a member present me with an argument against the $15/hour minimum wage which I hadn't yet considered. It was a success all around -- for both the members who got free breakfasts, and for the MBPs who got face-to-face introductions to potential customers. I am looking forward to our next meeting, June 8th in Turnersville. If you are in the area and would like to come, please reply directly to this email or call the office and ask for Jacy at 732-256-9646.

Congrats to Stanley, from Bradley Car Care, who walked away with the $50 American Express gift card!

Ed Francis, of B & E Service in Trenton, NJ was the winner of Hough Petroleum's case of Gultec Motor Oil!

Many thanks to the great group that came out to Mastoris in Bordentown on Wednesday, 5/4!

Thanks for reading -- See you all next week!

Sal Risalvato
Executive Director

TRAINING CLASSES!!

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

Emission Repair Technician Re-Certification Class

Four (4) Full Days -- Starts March 29th
DAYS: 9AM - 5PM on Tuesdays -- June 7, 14, 21 and 28

Eight (8) Evenings - Two Nights Per Week
NIGHTS: 6-10 PM on Mon & Weds -- May 9, 11, 16, 18, 23, 25 & June 6 & 8
** no class during the week of Memorial Day **

For registration form, click HERE.

Emission Inspector Training Class

Tuesday, May 17, 2016 -- 6:30 AM - 3:00 PM
Class Starts 7:00 AM (donuts and coffee provided)
Pizza and soda served at 12:00 pm
MVC Test at 1:00 PM

Cost: Member = $250
Non-Member = $300

Please bring $50.00 check made payable to NJMVC to satisfy the State's licensing fee

For more information and Registration Form, click HERE

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

NJGCA MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER GILL ENERGY LOOKING TO HIRE FOR (3) DIFFERENT POSITIONS!

District Manager
Store Manager
Trucking Operations Manager

For more information about these positions, and to submit a resume for consideration, please contact: ravigill@gillenergy.com.

NEWS AROUND THE STATE: THE NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW

05/04/2016:
The Continuing Legislative Debate Over Raising the Legal Age
The Massachusetts State Senate recently passed a bill to raise the statewide legal age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21. While the bill awaits consideration by the Massachusetts House, there is an ongoing trend by state legislatures considering bills to increase the age at which adults are allowed to purchase legal tobacco products. This year, 17 state legislatures have considered or are debating legislative proposals to raise the legal age to buy tobacco products. The majority of these bills would increase the age to 21, but several would raise the age to 19. For some time, Alabama, Alaska, New Jersey and Utah have had state laws setting the legal age at 19. The link above contains a complete list of the legal age legislation and the status of each bill. Of particular importance are the following:

California: Age 21 legislation signed into law today.
New Jersey: One age 21 bill passed by the legislature was pocket vetoed in January by Gov. Christie, and two other bills introduced this year are being considered.
New York: Four different age 21 bills have been introduced and referred to Senate and Assembly committees.

04/28/2016:
Gas station where employee was killed now facing $14K safety fines
The gas station where an employee was fatally shot last year is now facing $14,000 in fines from a federal agency that says it doesn't have enough safety measures in place. Ashiwin Patel, 57, of Edison, was shot and killed inside the convenience store attached to the Getty gas station on Stuyvesant Avenue in Irvington on 10/26/2015. The shooting prompted the US Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to open an investigation into the station. OSHA pegged the station with a $14,000 fine, saying it does not have the proper precautions in place to protect employees. "In the past five years, 20 violent incidents involving theft, armed robbery and fights occurred at this store," Kris Hoffman, OSHA's area director in Parsippany, said in a statement. "(Owner) Jay Management was well aware of this history and, even after the death of its employee in October the employer did nothing to implement safety measures to protect employees." According to the citation, OSHA says the company failed to put in "feasible" measures meant to keep employees safe, like bullet-proof enclosures, panic buttons, warning signs, and employee training.

4/20/2016:
What’s the State of Gas Taxes?
The average state gasoline tax was 26.5 cents per gallon (CPG) as of the start of 2016, though this is sure to shift as states take a second look at tax formulas and declining revenues. According to a recent analysis by the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the lowest state gas taxes and fees as of Jan. 1 were in Alaska at 8.95 CPG. Pennsylvania had the highest state tax at 51.4 CPG -- not including the 18.4-CPG federal fuel excise tax, which brings the tax total to 69.8 CPG. In 2013, Pennsylvania passed a stepped, nearly 25-CPG increase to its motor fuel tax to help pay for infrastructure improvements. The next-highest gas taxes -- state and federal combined -- were in Washington (63.02 CPG), California (55.56 CPG), North Carolina (53.65 CPG) and Rhode Island (52.52 CPG). Several states adjusted their gas taxes in 2016, with five -- Washington, Idaho, South Dakota, Iowa and Georgia -- having increases of 5 CPG or more. Four states -- California, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan -- dropped their gas taxes by 5 CPG or more.

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 PARTICIPATON: 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.

*NEW*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 for reflective of self-serve everywhere except NJ.