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August 02, 2013 Here is what you will find in this edition:
JOIN NJGCA ON FACEBOOK -- CLICK HERE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE: GREETINGS & SAL-UTATIONS!
GENERATOR MANDATE IN NEW YORK CAUSING PROBLEMS
In the months since Superstorm Sandy, and the subsequent gas crisis, there has been a lot of talk about generator mandates. Please note that I said “gas crisis” and not gas shortage. In the first meeting of the New Jersey Legislature after the storm, dozens of lawmakers introduced many different bills with one common goal: to mandate that most or all of the state’s gasoline retailers have backup power generators on site and ready to go in the event of another storm -- in order to prevent future gas lines. Gas stations located within half a mile of certain highways in New York City, and the counties of Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester and Rockland, have until April 1, 2014 to be wired for backup generation, and either have a generator onsite or a specific plan to bring one in if the power goes down. The state is willing to provide some financial assistance, but it is capped at just $13,000 for the generator itself, far short of the $20,000-$40,000 that it actually costs. The option exists to rent a unit when you need it, but how well do you think that'll work out? Everybody will need the same handful of generators at the same time, and in the worst situations, roads will be flooded and/or blocked off by debris and emergency crews. Most importantly of all -- and I’ve said this a thousand times now -- the problem was not a lack of power at the gas stations; it was that stations were unable to receive their gasoline deliveries. Sooooo….having generators does absolutely NOTHING! Gas lines will still form if refineries, pipelines, and distribution terminals are damaged and gasoline can’t be delivered to the gas stations that sell it. With that being said, I wanted to take this opportunity to remind you how hard NJGCA worked to educate New Jersey legislators and prevent them from passing similarly foolish legislation in a knee-jerk reaction to the storm. Among one of our most valuable assets during these discussions was the information that we were able to collect after the storm, identifying all of the stations that were closed because they were out of POWER, or closed because they were out of GAS. Because we distributed this information that you all provided to us daily, with various government officials, including the Governor's Office, we were able to provide concrete evidence that, with very few exceptions, POWER was turned on at gas stations, yet gasoline deliveries were not being made, and stations remained closed. This bolsters our argument that even if you all HAD generators during Sandy, we would have still experienced gas lines. A generator mandate is NOT the solution to the gas crisis that we all experienced in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. New York has chosen to implement costly and confusing regulations in an attempt to address a perceived problem, which actually does not exist. Although this issue is not dead (nothing ever really dies in Trenton), I remain confident that New Jersey will not be passing a generator mandate anytime soon. It is one more thing to keep me up at night and for all of us to remain vigilant monitoring any renewed efforts to pass such a mandate. I have my eye on this! Thanks for reading – See you next week!
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
07/31/2013:
7/24/2013:
TRAINING CLASSES!!
NO CLASSES AT THIS TIME - PLEASE CHECK BACK SOON!
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. 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.
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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