March 13, 2015

Dear NJGCA Member:

Thank you for reading this week's NJGCA Road Warrior!

Here is what you will find in this edition:

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

SURPRISE! RIGHT TO REPAIR TO BE HEARD IN TRENTON ON MONDAY
GAS TAX BATTLEFIELD QUIET THIS WEEK
NJGCA MEMBERSHIP FAIRNESS DOCTRINE IN ACTION
NJGCA MEMBER WRITES OP-ED ABOUT PAID SICK LEAVE
LEGISLATION TO INCREASE AVAILABILITY OF ALTERNATE FUELS

It has been a quiet week on the gas tax battlefield and indications are that, as I said last week, the possibility of NO TAX INCREASE is looking more likely.  Once we made it clear that we will expose the political motivation behind imposing a sales tax rather than a simple increase in the gas tax, legislators and the Governor had to face the reality that they would have to answer to voters if they voted to impose a sales tax.  Without the cover of claiming that they simply “closed a sales tax loophole,” they would jeopardize their future elections. My fear is that kicking the can down the road will create a bigger fight for us next year, but for now I am happy that the imminent threat of an increase seems to have subsided, HOWEVER monsters have a habit of re-appearing in Trenton and the surprise is always likely.  My eye is still on this!
 
Every now and then I like to keep you informed about how NJGCA protects the value of YOUR membership. There are still people who call us for help, even though they have chosen not to maintain their membership in good standing. I thought that this most recent example was one that you would find interesting, as there continue to be people that don't pay dues, but still try to access the help, support and resources that NJGCA reserves specifically for members in good standing, like YOU!
 
Several weeks ago, an ex-member called here, and boy was he in a bind! He was seeking help on a problem that could cost him between $300,000 to $400,000.  As I became more informed about the particulars of his problem, I looked up his membership record in our database. It seems as if he dropped his membership in 2001, and rejoined again in 2008, when he needed help with a problem that he was having with his supplier.  Of course, at that time, he was required to re-join in order to receive our assistance. But, again, one year later, (and after receiving NJGCA assistance), in 2009, he dropped his membership. Had the Membership Fairness Doctrine been in place when he called in 2008, he would've been required to pay all past dues for the previous six years.  Now, he's calling for help, and once again he has not paid the same membership fees that you all have paid for the last five years. Is it fair to you if I offer assistance? Absolutely not. At this point, in order for this on-again, off-again member (who thinks that he can simply pay his membership only when he needs help), to get our assistance, he is required to pay all of the dues that he has not paid since he became inactive in 2009. 
 
This is what we do to protect YOU!  And personally, I'm glad (and you should be too), that we have tightened this policy!
 
Next, I want to share with you a note about paid sick leave. One of our good, longtime members contacted us after reading last week's Road Warrior and he has been concerned about this. Some of you may recall the article that Keith Krehel wrote in the July 2014 issue of the OTR about the "five-year flu." I hope to get the press to pay attention to his opinion as an authentic business owner that will be affected by paid sick leave laws.  I sent his op-ed to the press, with the expectation that it will be published somewhere.  Here is the press release that I sent that includes Keith’s Op-Ed.

Finally, I haven't been talking about alternative fuels recently in this past year because they are not getting the same type of attention due to the prices of gasoline and diesel being as low as they have been. But, alternatives aren't going away, and at some point they will again be an economically advantageous option to your customers.  When this occurs, you could start to see alternate fuels as threats to your business, if you are not involved in these industries. I haven't reminded you of this in a while, but many of you have heard me say “some day there will be a last drop of oil,” and that is why alternate energies will be an economically viable option at some point in the future. We want you to be prepared for that option and to be ahead of the curve if the market starts to shift away from gasoline and towards more renewable resources! 

With that being said, I wanted to make you aware that legislation was introduced this week in Trenton which would require the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and the South Jersey Transportation Authority to provide natural gas refueling, propane refueling, and electric vehicle recharging stations at certain rest areas on New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway, and Atlantic City Expressway.  As the government becomes more invested in promoting alternate energies, you will see tax credits, subsidies and other incentives being thrown at hydrogen, electric, natural gas, wind, solar and other type of renewable resource, while the gasoline industry is penalized, taxed, and grows more expensive.  Our job is to prepare you for that eventual reality.

That's all for now!  Thanks for reading -- See you next week!

Regards,
Sal Risalvato
Executive Director

TRAINING CLASSES!!
-ALL CLASSES WILL BE HELD AT NJGCA HEADQUARTERS-
66 Morris Avenue - Springfield, NJ 07081 (Union County)

FUTURE CLASSES 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!!

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

03/10/2015:
Tesla Gains Ground in the Garden State: NJ Polls Support Direct Sales
Last spring, Tesla Motors was in talks with NJ Governor Christie, and CEO Elon Musk was optimistic about the prospects of selling Tesla's all-electric vehicles in the Garden State. Then suddenly -- to hear Tesla tell it -- Christie and the NJ Motor Vehicle Commission made an about-face. In March 2014, the Commission unanimously approved new rules that limited new car sales to franchises. Since Tesla doesn't have a network of franchised dealerships -- relying instead on a system of galleries owned and operated by the company itself -- it was left out in the proverbial cold. Tesla vowed to sue for the right to sell vehicles directly to consumers, but that suit appears to have gone nowhere. Later, the state Assembly heartily approved a bill that would make room for Tesla. In its current form, it permits certain zero emission vehicle manufacturers to directly sell motor vehicles to consumers and requires them to operate service facilities. Any company doing business in NJ under the proposed guidelines would be limited to four retail locations. On Monday, the bill passed the Senate Commerce Committee by a vote of 6-0, and now it goes to the full Senate. Governor Christie has suggested that he'll sign the bill if it ever reaches his desk. Stay tuned.
 
03/07/2015:
Utilities Wage Campaign Against Rooftop Solar
Three years ago, the nation’s top utility executives gathered at a Colorado resort to hear warnings about a grave new threat to operators of America’s electric grid: not super-storms or cyber-attacks, but rooftop solar panels.  If demand for residential solar continued to soar, traditional utilities could soon face serious problems, from “declining retail sales” and a “loss of customers” to “potential obsolescence,” according to a presentation prepared for the group. “Industry must prepare an action plan to address the challenges,” it said.  The warning, delivered to a private meeting of the utility industry’s main trade association, became a call to arms for electricity providers in nearly every corner of the nation.  Three years later, the industry and its fossil-fuel supporters are waging a determined campaign to stop a home-solar insurgency that is rattling the boardrooms of the country’s government-regulated electric monopolies.
 
03/04/2015:
Christie's Prognosis for Paid Sick Leave is Job Losses
Gov. Christie says he's in favor of paid sick leave -- he's just not in favor of requiring businesses to pay for it. Christie was recently asked the question that every politician fears: Why was he against a mother being able to stay home and care for her sick child, instead of fearing for the loss of her job? Quickly saying that it is already "extraordinarily expensive to operate a business" in NJ, Christie argued against what he termed "the real fear of job loss" which he said would "make NJ less competitive than the rest of the country." That, he said, would lead to "the diminution of opportunity" here. This month, Bloomfield became the first NJ town this year, and the ninth in the state, to mandate that all its businesses located there provide paid sick leave to their full- and part-time employees. In December, the state Assembly passed a bill that would mandate that NJ businesses with 10 or more employees be required to let workers earn at least 72 hours of sick leave. Those firms with fewer than 10 employees would have to offer employees at least 40 hours of sick time.

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 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.