May 22, 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! 

SELF SERVE LEGISLATION INTRODUCED IN TRENTON
MANDATORY TIRE REGISTRATION LEGISLATION IN WASHINGTON DC
BE GRATEFUL ON MEMORIAL DAY

There is no way that any of you could have missed the big news this week -- legislation to allow motorists the option of pumping their own gas has been introduced in Trenton. Any television, radio or newspaper that you encounter is undoubtedly reporting on this development. My phone hasn't stopped ringing, and I did 5 on-camera television interviews and 8 newspaper interviews. I will provide links to all of those pieces at the end of this section, but first, let me back up quickly and explain what happened last week, which led up to all of this.
 
I have been working on this issue for almost two years, with a couple of legislators. Two months ago, I began meeting with Senator Sarlo to gauge his interest in supporting (or sponsoring) self-serve legislation. I met with him three times, but never felt as though he was really, truly locked in and on board. So imagine my surprise when I got a call from Senator Gerald Cardinale, who is the father of self-serve legislation in New Jersey, telling me that Senator Sarlo agreed to sponsor the bill, and introduced it that very day. This was last Thursday, the day that I was in Washington DC, discussing another critical issue which I will recap in just a minute. Then, the media frenzy began. I have spent countless hours on the phone with people trying to give our story so that it is accurately portrayed. I can honestly tell you I am never going to get used to how the media operates. In every news article, TV report or radio discussion, I continue to hear and read, from people that I JUST spoke to, a totally inaccurate version of the facts surrounding both the history of the self-serve issue in NJ, and the facts that relate to the legislation that we have introduced.
 
One big obstacle that presented itself only days after the legislation was introduced was the fact that Senate President Sweeney is vocally opposing any legislation to change the current system in New Jersey. Sweeney wants to end the conversation before it even begins. So where are we? We are re-working our strategy. From Day 1, I have represented that this is going to be a multi-year fight to try to overcome the culture in NJ which has created bumper stickers and tee-shirts exclaiming "Jersey girls don't pump gas." I am committed to you, and since so many of you have been begging me to get this accomplished, I will enthusiastically keep up the fight.

Please take a few minutes to watch the following news clips and read the following articles so that you understand NJGCA's position on the issue.

Channel 7 Eyewitness News at 4 PM
WMBC News at 5 PM
Channel 7 Eyewitness News at 6 PM
News 12 New Jersey News at 7 PM
NJTV News at 6 PM

In addition to the many newspaper articles which contained quotes from me, I also released a written statement, and had an op-ed published in the Bergen Record.  To access all of the articles in which I was quoted, please click here.

There are many more things to report, but this has occupied so much of my week, I don't have much energy left to expand on other issues. However, one issue must be discussed. I have mentioned the efforts to impose mandatory tire registration on those of you who sell tires, and I traveled to Washington last week because of my great concern. It will be a burdensome and manual transaction that you will be required to perform under the threat of enormous financial penalties, so it is my obligation to work with our friends at our sister association in Maryland (WMDA) to kill this bad idea. I believe that we were successful in meeting with key members of Congress that will be very influential in preventing this from happening. One meeting was with our own NJ Congressman Leonard Lance who is the Vice-Chair of the House Energy Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade. Congressman Lance's leadership position on the Committee in which this has to be heard, gives us great confidence that this won't move forward. However, the information that we did learn was that this idea seems to have come from the Obama administration, so I will have to keep my eye on this until it is dead, dead, dead.
 
My final message is Happy Memorial Day, and let's all remember the real reason why we are all  able to celebrate. We owe a debt to fallen soldiers, a debt that is impossible to ever repay. Maybe this is because I'm a history buff, but at times when I think about the sacrifices made by soldiers, I remember that those sacrifices actually go all the way back to the Revolutionary War.  I really do often think about the men who left their families, their farms and laid down their lives to birth this great nation. Of course, since then there are many other soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice to maintain the freedom that they made possible. ALL should be remembered. It truly is a debt that can never be repaid.
 
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)

For info on the ENTIRE ETEP course, and the ETEP Re-Certification courses that NJGCA is offering, please click HERE.

To access the registration form and payment info, please click HERE.

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 PARTNERS LOOKING TO HIRE!

GILL ENERGY:

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

05/19/2015:
New Jersey lowers lottery's revenue projections
NJ's lottery is bringing in less money than Gov. Christie's administration expected this fiscal year. Treasurer Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff presented the state Senate Budget Committee on Tuesday with the latest revenue figures.  They showed the lottery is estimated to bring in $930 million for fiscal year 2015, which ends June 30. The administration had expected revenues of $955 million, and that estimate had been revised down from $1.04 billion. Christie entered a 15-year contract with Northstar in 2013 to oversee parts of the state's lottery but revenues have been missing projections. The treasurer and the Legislature's budget expert have said the downturn reflects a nationwide trend in lottery sales. Budget Committee Chairman Paul Sarlo says he believes that younger generations are not as likely to play lottery games.
 
05/19/2015:
States saying 'no' to cities seeking to regulate businesses
Alarmed by cities trying to outlaw plastic bags, the director of the Missouri Grocers Association decided to do something about it. So Dan Shaul turned to his state legislator -- himself -- and guided a bill to passage barring local governments from banning the bags. Shaul's dual role in state government and business may be a bit out of the norm. Yet his actions are not.  In capitols across the country, businesses are increasingly using their clout to back laws prohibiting cities and counties from doing things that might affect their ability to make money. In the past five years, roughly 12 states have enacted laws barring local governments from requiring businesses to provide paid sick leave to employees. The number of states banning local minimum wages has grown to 15. And while oil-rich states such as Texas and Oklahoma are pursuing bills banning local restrictions on drilling, other states where agriculture is big business have been banning local limitations on the types of seeds sown for crops. It seems no issue is too small for businesses to take to capitol halls. Wisconsin has banned local bans on sugary drinks. Arizona and Florida have barred local governments from forbidding toys in fast-food meals. And Utah has barred cities from requiring bicyclists to be served in drive-thru lanes.
 
05/17/2015:
Dealers, car makers in bitter face-off over N.J. legislation
Serious strains in the symbiotic relationship between auto dealers, and the makers of the vehicles they sell, are about to take center stage again in NJ. A bill that would grant significant benefits to the dealers, at the expense of manufacturers, is headed for a state Senate vote, four years after legislation that also favored dealerships in their relationship with carmakers won approval. The New Jersey legislation, S-927, comes during a turbulent period for the state's car industry, which has seen the number of dealerships shrink by about 20% since the recession-induced industry crisis that began in 2008. The bill includes measures to limit how manufacturers offer special pricing deals to certain dealerships; to increase the ability of dealerships to protest the placement of a new franchise nearby; and to reduce situations in which carmakers can take control of a dealership up for sale by using the right of first refusal.
 
05/15/2015:
Running on Empty? Mapping New Jersey’s Alternative-Fuel StationsNJ has only two alternative fueling stations for every 100,000 vehicles, the second-lowest ranking in the country. NJ has 146 alternative fueling stations open to the public, according to data from the Alternative Fuels Data Center. When compared to the total number of vehicles -- gasoline-powered and alternative -- NJ ranks next to last in the nation, behind Alaska. NJ has just 2.1 public alternative-fuel stations per 100,000 motor vehicles. The national average is 6.3 and the highest ratio is nearly 20 stations per 100,000 total vehicles in the District of Columbia. It's hard to know exactly how many vehicles would be using the stations as no estimates were readily available. Data from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which provides estimated ranges by type of vehicle by county, indicates that there were at least 270,000 alternative fuel vehicles on NJ's roads in 2012. About half of them are flex-fuel, but may use gasoline instead of the ethanol fuel blend E85 or another alternative. Chuck Feinberg, chairman of the NJ Clean Cities Coalition, estimated that fewer than 1% of the state's more than 6 million registered vehicles use alternative fuel.
 
 

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.