First and foremost, prayers should be offered to our fellow citizens in Texas in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.  Unfortunately, based on what we went through in 2012, we know all too well in New Jersey what’s happening in Texas right now.  I’ve already gotten calls from the media because small business owners in Texas will be faced with the exact same questions after the storm that we were. I’m sure that they will have to deal with the same issues concerning mandatory generators and emergency supplies that we had here in New Jersey. As far as the price increases that you have experienced in the last few days, I can only tell you that I am certain it is temporary, particularly since the devastation that this storm has caused is going to depress overall demand in a large region of the country for both crude oil and refined products such as gasoline and diesel for a long time to come.
 
Additionally, we can be thankful that since 2009 the amount of crude oil production in the United States has increased so much that gasoline supply is currently higher than demand.  The economic depression that this storm has produced will linger for a while, keeping demand relatively “low” and causing prices to come back down. It is also important to remember that we have already seen MUCH LESS of a price increase in gasoline than we would’ve seen just six years ago. The amount of production that we are now capable of has kept the increase to 20¢ (as of the time this was written), while six years ago this would’ve easily been a 50¢ increase overnight before the storm even hit. I’m sure many of you will remember that even the threat of storms along the Gulf Coast caused prices to rise dramatically.  I have one horrible recollection of a time that prices went up 50¢ in one day and back down 50¢ the next day. And every retailer that purchased gas on the day it was up ended up losing big time. I’m confident that the market will return to normal levels and demand decreases in the wake of the storm will keep prices stable at those new lower levels.
 
Final reminder about the annual Weights and Measures conference taking place next week in Atlantic City.  Weights and Measures has extended an invitation to any of you that would like to attend a session next Thursday, September 7^th at 11:00 AM to voice your concerns or suggestions to enlighten Weights and Measures officers about how their rules, procedures and inspections affect your business and could be improved.  Of course, I will be there and it would be nice to have some of the people that I represent attend, as often your voice is more meaningful than mine. Please reply to this email or email sal@njgca.org to let me know that you will attend and I will get you more details.
 
Next, of course as you know, our 80^th anniversary gala is shaping up and I just want to give a last minute reminder to those of you that are considering attending but have not yet responded. I can’t tell you how much it will mean to have you there with your spouse to celebrate all of the accomplishments of this organization, and all of the efforts that we have made TOGETHER to make NJGCA what it is today … so if you are thinking about attending please reply to this email or call NJGCA at 732-256-9646.
 
Reminder: The NJGCA Member Benefit Partner survey has been mailed out to all members and is also available online HERE. Your feedback is valuable to us and to our MBPs (as we do share your comments with them), to help all parties improve the quality of services that are offered to our members. Please take some time over the holiday weekend to complete this important survey!
 
Finally, please take a moment to review the three flyers below.  Our valued Member Benefit Partner and exclusive auto parts supplier (Autopart International) is offering an NJGCA Members Only special on catalytic converters and O2 sensors.  Autopart International is also running additional specials in September on exhausts, catalytic converters, and shocks and struts. Additional information can be found in the flyers below or by calling your local Autopart International store.  If you don't have the contact info for your local store, please call NJGCA at 732-256-9646.  

                                                                                                                                                         

TRAINING CLASSES!!

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

                                                                                                                                                               

 CLASSIFIEDS! -- FOR SALE & HELP WANTED ADS

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 aproved and very busy.

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

08/29/2017:
Hurricane Harvey's Economic Impact Could Top $15B
Harvey may be lessening its hold on the southeastern region of Texas, but the economic impact of the storm is still unknown. Planalytics estimates that the storm's economic impact could top $15 billion -- similar to the impact felt from Hurricane Charley in 2004, the last Category 4 hurricane to make landfall in the United States. "Harvey is poised to have the same, if not larger economic impacts, and is likely to be a top 10 (if not top five) storm in these terms -- but we won't know for sure until it's over," Planalytics reported. Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas on Aug. 25 as a Category 4 storm, and later weakened to a tropical storm.  According to the business weather intelligence company, Hurricane Ike in 2008 was one of the largest to impact Texas, with estimated impacts of $28 billion, although Ike also impacted Louisiana and Mississippi. A good reference point for Houston is Tropical Storm Allison in 2001, which dropped 28 inches of rain in less than 24 hours, resulting in an estimated $5-billion impact to Houston, it said. Planalytics' initial estimate on lost sales in the consumer/retail sector will be $1 billion. This represents revenue that is lost and will not be made up later, it reported, adding "all major businesses will be impacted." Notably, restaurants will take the biggest hit as these businesses do not make up for lost traffic, according to Planalytics.
 
08/29/2017:
FDA Announces Age-verification materials available to retailers for free
At the National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO) Regional Education Seminar held last week, the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products announced a new FDA retail program called This Is Our Watch. The primary purpose of the new program is to educate retailers on how to comply with the law and prevent the sale of tobacco products to minors. In the announcement, Director Mitch Zeller acknowledged the importance of retailers complying with the law and keeping tobacco out of the hands of minors to prevent underage use.  In addition, Zeller said that even though there are other retail programs such as We Card, retailers have indicated to the FDA that they want the agency to explain how businesses need to comply with federal tobacco regulations. The FDA's This Is Our Watch program materials will be shipped at no charge to retailers across the country in November. Materials include a poster to display in stores plus five flyers, with each flyer containing regulation information on the different kinds of tobacco products (for example, cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, pipe tobacco and electronic cigarette/vapor products).  Also, a flip calendar that stands up and is readable from two sides (one customer-facing and one retailer-facing) will assist retailers in verifying legal age. Supplementing these materials will be a retailer checklist for the verifying age of a customer and stickers of various sizes that can be placed on store doors, cash registers and other areas within the store to serve as a reminder to customers that identification will be needed to purchase tobacco products.
 
08/28/2017:
U.S. Senators Call for Menthol Ban
In a letter to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), five U.S. senators called for a ban on menthol cigarettes, saying tobacco companies disproportionately target African Americans when promoting and marketing their products. Senator Edward Markey, D-Mass., is leading the effort, saying in the letter that African Americans suffer the greatest burden of tobacco-related mortality of any ethnic or racial group in the US. Sent in mid-August, the letter to the FDA was signed by Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.; Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, both Democrats from Rhode Island; and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. Disagreeing with the ban, David Clement, North American affairs manager for the Consumer Choice Center, Arlington, VA said such a law would foster black markets and result in greater incarceration rates and less consumer choice and harm-reduction. “Sen. Markey’s call to ban menthol cigarettes is nothing but nanny state paternalism,” Clement said in a statement. “Rather than trying to enact heavy-handed legislation infringing on consumer choice, Sen. Markey should focus his efforts on promoting harm-reduction strategies, like vaping.” In a public event on July 28, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, commissioner of the FDA, released a statement saying, among other things, that the agency would revisit the issue of flavored tobacco products, including menthol.  Thomas Briant, executive director of NATO, Minneapolis, expressed confidence in the process that is in place. “In the new regulatory plan announced by FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb on July 28th, the FDA is planning to request comments from the public and the industry about potentially regulating flavored-tobacco products, including menthol, mint and winter-green flavors. This means that the FDA is taking the appropriate course to first obtain public input and then determine whether any new regulations on flavored-tobacco products should be proposed.”
 
08/25/2017:
N.J. lottery market changes, but lowered expectations remain
Just two years into a long-term contract to run the NJ Lottery, the private, politically connected conglomerate that had "committed to generating at least $1.4 billion" in new income for the state went back to Gov. Christie's administration with two complaints:

• Jackpots in draw games like Powerball were underwhelming, dragging down sales goals; and
• The state had denied the organization's plan to launch keno-style games in bars and restaurants. 

So the administration agreed to slash the income targets of Northstar New Jersey by $1 billion over the remaining years of the contract. Then changes to Powerball grew jackpots to record levels. And New Jersey added keno-style video lottery games to 400 locations last month. But despite these changes, the lowered income targets for Northstar remain the same. The Christie administration has declined to say whether it has invoked, or plans to invoke, a provision in the contract that allows it to seek more money from Northstar if market conditions change.
 
08/17/2017:
Some Democrats See Tax Overhaul as a Path to Taxing Carbon
With a sweeping overhaul of the tax code on the horizon, two Senate Democrats believe this is the moment to broach the third rail of climate change policy: a carbon tax. The plan by the senators, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Brian Schatz of Hawaii, to level a $49 per metric ton fee on greenhouse gas emissions is widely acknowledged as a long shot. But the lawmakers, along with climate activists and a cadre of conservative supporters, insist the tax reform is a way to create bipartisan support. The senators propose to use a portion of the estimated $2.1 trillion they anticipate in carbon tax revenue over the first 10 years to reduce the top marginal corporate tax income rate, something the White House has called for. They also hope to have an ally in President Trump’s economic adviser, Gary D. Cohn, who met in February with a prominent group of Republicans advocating a similar plan. No Republican lawmaker has signed on to the Senate measure.  Mr. Trump, who routinely proclaims his affection for coal, during the presidential campaign flatly rejected via Twitter a suggestion that he might put a price on carbon pollution. The senators steering the effort admit they haven’t even broached a carbon tax directly with members of the administration, and the White House has distanced itself from the policy.  Yet even the fiercest critics of a carbon tax say they can’t afford to dismiss the effort.

                                                                                                                                                                 
MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER MESSAGE BOARD:

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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.