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June 14, 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:

• Emissions Inspection Contracts; Diner Tour; Emerging Hydrogen Vehicles; Employment Policies Survey Reminder; Happy Birthday Self-Serve

NJGCA CLASSIFIEDS
- Monmouth County: Gas Station and Repair Shop Business Since 2001
- Asbury Park: Commercial Building for Sale. Possible Sale of Business
- Bergen County: Shell Gas Station with 6-Bay Repair Shop for Sale

NEWS AROUND THE STATE
• The End of the Combustion Engine?
• Farm Bill Clears Senate Agriculture Committee
• New York C-Stores Want Rule Changes
• Repeal Of Foreign Entrepreneur Rule Could Have Crushing Effect On N.J.
• Plastic Bag Bans Coming to Hoboken, Jersey City
• NJBIA, State Chamber Insist Higher Taxes Would Exacerbate, Not Alleviate, N.J.’s Budget Woes

• Industry Associations Applaud White House's Decision to Indefinitely Delay Renewable Fuel Standard Revisions
• Why Are So Many C-store Chains Installing Electric Vehicle Chargers?

TRAINING CLASS SCHEDULE!
??????• ETEP Re-Cert Class, THURSDAY June 21, 28, July 5, and WEDNESDAY July 11th
??????• Emissions Inspector Training Class, THURSDAY, August 9th

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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TO SEE OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL -- CLICK HERE

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE:

EMISSIONS INSPECTION CONTRACTS
DINER TOUR
EMERGING HYDROGEN VEHICLES
EMPLOYMENT POLICIES SURVEY REMINDER
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SELF-SERVE

Last week we learned that the Department of Treasury has decided to take our advice and scrap all the bids that were submitted in February 2016 for the new emissions inspection contract. Legal maneuvers and protests among the four companies that bid for the contract have now lasted more than two years. NJGCA made a presentation to the incoming governor's transition team as well as members of the Senate and Assembly Budget Committees requesting that since so much time has passed and legal maneuvering continues, that the process be completely redone. We want to use this opportunity to convince the State that new bids should be made utilizing a totally decentralized, all PIF inspection system and close all of the Parsons-run central facilities. This amounts to a second bite at the apple for us as we have been advocating for this since 2010. I’ll keep you updated on our progress.

We had another great diner tour meeting in Paramus on Wednesday. It seems whenever we have these meetings, members are enthusiastic, have great participation, and always thank us for organizing them. Some of the issues that were discussed included self-serve, minimum wage, and the potential for another gas tax increase in October. Our next diner tour is Wednesday, July 18th at the Shore Diner in Egg Harbor Township from 9:30 - 11:30. Members in Atlantic, Cape May, and Ocean counties should mark their calendars and make every effort to join us. Don’t forget, if you have any young professionals working in your business, feel free to bring them along!

Congrats to our gift card winner Martin Gallagher! Join us at the next Diner Tour for your chance to win

I traveled to DC on Tuesday to attend the National Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Forum. I continue to hear very loud footsteps from the hydrogen industry. I believe that electrified vehicles are going to continue to emerge on to the scene at an increasing rate as time goes on. I also believe that because of the range of travel that hydrogen vehicles have that they will triumph over plug-in electric vehicles. Hydrogen vehicles can be refueled in three minutes and the hydrogen will generate enough electricity in that vehicle to last more than 300 miles. Honda and Toyota both had vehicles on display and I must say, they were very attractive, luxurious and comfortable cars. There is a simplicity to driving electrified vehicles that does not exist with gasoline fueled vehicles. I expect these footsteps will get louder as this technology gets closer and closer to becoming widespread and it is my responsibility to get you as much information on alternative fuels and vehicles to keep you on the cutting edge. It will be the future, and we can't stop it.

Image of Honda Clarity Fuel Cell Vehicle, one of the hydrogen cars shown at the conference
Honda Automobiles. "Honda Clarity." Honda Automobiles: https://automobiles.honda.com/clarity-plug-in-hybrid

Last week we sent you a survey to try to learn more about employment policy trends within the gasoline, convenience store, and auto repair industries. Thank you to those of you who responded. It is really important that you respond if you have not done so already. Please take five minutes to complete this survey.

Finally, I found this article published in the NACS newsletter celebrating the anniversary of self-serve gas. Interesting to me in particular because 54 years later we are still trying in New Jersey to change the law. NJGCA continues to advocate for permitting motorists to pump their own gas.

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

ETEP Re-Certification Classes -- Sections 8, 9, and 10
This class runs on Thursdays from 1:00 PM to 9:00 PM for 4 weeks
Class Dates: Thursday, June 21, 28, July 5th and WEDNESDAY July 11th
Stop turning away work!! The New Jersey Inspection Program requires vehicles that fail emissions inspection to go to a Licensed Certified Emission Inspector for Repairs! When the new program begins, a list of Certified Emission Repair Shops will be given to vehicle owners! If you want your business name on the list – make sure you have a Certified Licensed Emission Repair Technician & an Emission Repair Facility License!

Fees for members are $675 and non-members are $795.
Click HERE for registration form.

Emissions Inspector Training Class - One Day Only!
THURSDAY, AUGUST 9th, 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: Thursday, August 9th from 7:00am to 3:00pm.
Cost is $275 for members.
Click HERE for the registration form, and please send Debbie Hill a copy of your drivers license with the 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:

Commercial Building in Asbury Park, Possible Sale of Business, Too! For listing information, please click HERE.

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

6/14/18
The End of the Combustion Engine?
Headlines increasingly share highlights from the advancing electric vehicle industry. The cost of batteries per kWh decreased by 79% between 2010 and 2017. And in recent news, Tesla founder Elon Musk claims Tesla will be able to reduce the cost of a battery to less than $100/kWh in the next two years. Although there has been significant progress in alternative vehicles, current automobile sales don’t yet reflect this shift. A recent survey by the Fuels Institute shows that while 51% of potential buyers said they would consider an all-electric vehicle for their next purchase, only 0.5% of all light-duty vehicles sold in 2016 were fully electric, and only 0.6% in 2017.

6/14/18
Farm Bill Clears Senate Agriculture Committee
The Senate Agriculture Committee favorably reported the 2018 Farm Bill (S. 3042) cleared its committee with a 20–1 vote. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) was the only dissenting vote on the bill. Every five years Congress must past a Farm Bill that sets agriculture, nutrition, conservation and forestry policy. The current farm bill is set to expire in September, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has vowed to bring the 2018 Farm Bill to the Senate floor for a vote before the July 4 holiday. Yesterday’s committee markup was the result of months of negotiations between Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), who unveiled their bipartisan version of the Farm Bill last Friday. More than 119,000 convenience store retailers participate in SNAP, Specifically, the bill calls for:

The prohibition of processing fees, interchange fees and routing fees from all EBT transactions. This provision is similar to language in the House version of the bill.
A study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) of the current EBT payments system, participants and providers to examine network outages and other system issues. The legislation gives the Secretary of Agriculture the authority to write a regulation based on the study results.
A retailer incentives program. USDA is instructed to create an approval process for retailers seeking to offer incentives for SNAP purchases of foods that are within the dietary guidelines.

6/13/18
New York C-Stores Want Rule Changes
Misguided local restrictions on tobacco retailing continue to proliferate across the state of New York in spite of the best efforts of the convenience store industry to halt their advance. The Empire State has become a bubbling cauldron of agenda-driven attempts to impose higher purchase ages, price floors, store count caps and other encumbrances that are meant to cut tobacco use but end up exacerbating the ever-expanding illegal trade epidemic.

6/12/18
Repeal Of Foreign Entrepreneur Rule Could Have Crushing Effect On N.J.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is repealing the rule from former President Barack Obama’s time in office that was supposed to help the U.S. compete in the global market. But it now risks losing out to Canada and the U.K., which still have similar programs. The rule had allowed immigrant entrepreneurs to stay in the country for at least two and a half years, but up to five years with an extension, to establish and grow a business. That would lead to a startup visa, which opened a different pathway for legal immigration. After DHS announced its plans at the end of May, the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce spoke up in opposition. “Immigrant entrepreneurs have been contributing to our economy for many years,” said Carlos Medina, SHCCNJ chairman. “Those that are impacted by this rule have a solid business plan and financial backing. To deny someone who can contribute to the economy from Day One makes no sense and is not in the spirit of what makes America great.”

6/7/18
Plastic bag bans coming to Hoboken, Jersey City
Hudson County is getting in on the plastic ban craze, with Hoboken and Jersey City moving forward with measures that would impose sharp limits on when retailers can give plastic bags to customers. The action by the two cities comes amid a global effort to limit the use of plastic bags. Advocates for the bans say plastic bags litter sidewalks and streets and clog oceans and waterways. Hoboken's ordinance received initial approval from its council on Wednesday. Jersey City's ordinance is up for first reading on June 13. Both measures would largely require retailers to provide only reusable and/or recyclable paper bags to customers. There are exemptions, including bags to wrap newspapers, dry cleaning items, frozen foods, meat and fish. Hoboken's bill specifies that retailers charge customers for the non-plastic bags (no more than 25 cents each for paper bags). They would be required to provide free paper or cloth bags to any customer using government assistance to purchase goods. Violations in Jersey City would result in a $100 fine per infraction. In Hoboken, the first violation would cost a retailer $100, $200 for the second and $500 for every subsequent violation.

6/7/18
NJBIA, State Chamber Insist Higher Taxes Would Exacerbate, Not Alleviate, N.J.’s Budget Woes
New Jersey’s business community has concerns about what some are describing as an antiquated solution to the budget problem. A new analysis from the New Jersey Business & Industry Association shows the tax increases being considered to boost revenue for the state — ideas ranging from targeting businesses to the wealthiest residents — would hit already-challenged areas of the economy. For instance, the proposed corporate tax would impact 2,373 New Jersey companies, of which 86 percent earned between $1 million and $10 million in net allocated income. New Jersey’s ongoing resident outmigration has resulted in a net loss of $25 billion in adjusted gross income over the past 12 years, and the state has seen a slow rate of growth of millionaires.

6/7/18
Industry Associations Applaud White House's Decision to Indefinitely Delay Renewable Fuel Standard Revisions
Multiple industry associations spoke out to applaud President Trump and both Republican and Democratic Senators for the decision to indefinitely delay changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Proposed changes would have included allowing refiners to receive Renewable Identification Number (RIN) credits on exports of renewable fuels. In a released statement, ACE noted that granting Reid Vapor Pressure relief for E15 in exchange with export RIN credits for refiners would have been a loss for rural America and consumers alike, as the benefits of selling E15 year-round would have been wiped out by export RINs.

6/7/18
Why Are So Many C-store Chains Installing Electric Vehicle Chargers?
It’s widely agreed upon that it will be several years before electric vehicles (EVs) impact the U.S. fueling market. Projections show electric vehicles will represent only 5 percent of new car sales by 2025. So then, why are so many leading convenience store chains, including Sheetz Inc., Maverik Inc., QuickChek Corp. and Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., installing EV chargers now? The answer boils down to incentives — financial incentives, in particular.

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.

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.