Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, we are sending you this Road Warrior newsletter a day early. The NJGCA team would like to wish a happy Thanksgiving to our members, and we hope that you all enjoy the time with family and loved ones. In the spirit of giving thanks, we recently received a touching letter from member Eric Bellomo that we wanted to share with you all. Our staff works tirelessly to make sure our members are informed and protected, and we appreciate the recognition and appreciation:
Greetings NJGCA,
I have recently renewed my supply contract with Sunoco which has always been an effortless process since owning my own location since 1975. This time proved to be extremely difficult and caused much stress, delay, and even consideration of leaving the Sunoco Brand.
I am fortunate to be a member of the NJGCA and to know Joe Ocello. He has been a critical partner in helping navigate the process with me, as his knowledge and negotiations with the Oil Companies help secure the advantageous 10 year supply contract I signed with Sunoco.
I wanted to take the time to show gratitude to not only the NJGCA but to Joe as well. The NJGCA is extremely important to business owners like myself in making sure that we make decisions and negotiations that are the best and build the business for future success.
Thank you once again,
Eric Bellomo
MBP Survey
Earlier this year, you should have received the 2022 NJGCA Member Benefit Partner Brochure, which provides information about all of the companies/businesses/vendors that have partnered with NJGCA to provide our members with the highest quality products and services.
Now, it's time for you to tell us what you think!Our updated survey takes less than five minutes, and the information and feedback that you provide will help us tailor our Member Benefit Partners program to best suit the needs of our membership. If you also use companies which are not currently NJGCA MBPs that you are happy with, please let us know so we can determine if there are any businesses that we would like to partner with in the future.
This year, we are excited to announce a giveaway tied to our survey. All NJGCA members who complete the survey will be able to enter to win a $25 Amazon gift card. We will randomly select four winners on December 9th who will receive a gift card by email.
This survey allows you the opportunity to give feedback about the companies that you do business with, from Compliance Testing Companies to Retail Distributors to law firms. Please complete this short survey, even if you do not use a NJGCA MBP listed in our brochure. Your feedback will help us learn more about other businesses and services that we may want to include in future brochures.
On December 1st we will be hosting another sold-out INL NJ Emission Inspector Training class at our headquarters. Unfortunately, we currently have no spots available to accommodate more students as the state only allows ten at a time in a class due to limited testing materials, and this class offering sold out immediately. However, we can request more class dates from the state should we report enough interest to them. If you are interested in becoming an emissions inspector, or have an employee looking to get certified, please reach out to Nick De Palma at nick@njgca.org. We hope to be able to schedule one more class before the end of the year.
In the last few months, we’ve updated our members on our discussions with NJDEP officials concerning the forthcoming Enhanced Vapor Recovery ("EVR") upgrade mandate. You’ll recall that this upgrade affects all locations with tanks installed prior to December 23, 2017. Any tanks installed on/after December 23, 2017 are unaffected; and should have had these enhancements made at the time of installation (more on that, below). That means, for any station build before December 23, 2017, you must upgrade to new, full EVR requirements by December 23, 2024.
For those affected, the upgrade is a California Air Resources Board (CARB) Certified Phase 1 system, and includes enhanced rotatable fill adaptors, dust caps, spill buckets, hoses, and other requirements. Stations that do not upgrade their facility by December 23, 2024 may face fines or penalties for non-compliance. In following the same mindset that forewarned the implementation of the Stage II Vacuum Assist Vapor Recovery decommissioning (which ended on December 23, 2020), the Association highly recommends all affected stations comply with the upcoming mandates ahead of the deadline. Any station with tanks installed before December 23, 2017 should contact their compliance vendor to inquire about the updates and schedule their completion before the deadline.
Please don’t wait until the last second. As we saw with the end of Stage II and the EMV credit card reader deadlines, many station owners waited until the final few weeks before the compliance deadline --- and were harmed by longer wait times and higher costs.
The above EVR upgrade aside, we recently heard from a member who was fined for a related (though different) series of violations.
Our member’s station underwent a new, full underground storage tank installation in October 2018. This date was past the “on/after” December 23, 2017 deadline referenced above. This meant that our member’s new station apparatus was to have been installed with a CARB-certified Phase 1 system.
Nevertheless, our member was recently cited by DEP for dispenser hose and nozzle violations; which should not have been possible if the October 2018 station upgrade was done correctly.
As it turns out, some items slipped through the cracks. That’s because, while a Stage II Vacuum Assist Vapor Recovery System was not part of the installation (nor should it have been, as all such recovery systems were decommissioned in December 2020), his contractor failed to install CARB-certified low permeation hoses and dripless nozzles in accordance with existing Phase 1 regulations.
This seems like a minor oversight, and something that wouldn’t warrant attention. In the case of our cited member, all the hanging hardware (low permeation hoses and CARB-certified dripless nozzles) were to be EVR compliant at the time of install. The low permeation hoses were to have a rate no higher than 10 (g/m2/day) grams per square meter per day, meet UL 330 requirements, and comply with CARB certification procedure in CP-201 and CP-207 (which speak to Enhanced Conventional (ECO) Nozzles and Low Permeation Conventional Hoses). Using CARB-certified dripless enhanced conventional dispensing nozzles was also mandated to reduce the release of VOCs at dispensers.
Unfortunately for our member, this was not done. At the time of his installation, low permeation hoses were commonly used, while dripless nozzles have only more recently become widely available. To account for the latter point, stations were "grandfathered" to temporarily use non-dripless conventional nozzles until they were replaced (and at which point, would have to be swapped out for new CARB-certified dripless nozzles). Obviously, our member was caught in-between the changeover; whether it was a lack of availability or an oversight on the part of the contractor, he faced a DEP violation.
Regardless, if you’ve recently installed new tanks or are upgrading your existing hardware, you should check your hoses and nozzles to make sure you're in compliance and avoid a costly fine from DEP.
Be sure that as your hanging hardware is worn out and replaced, that any newly installed hardware is compliant with the existing regulations. If you are uncertain of what hardware you have, it would be smart to get paperwork and verification from your contractor or compliance/tank-testing vendor to document to present to DEP.
If you have any questions, contact Nick at nick@njgca.org for more information.
Turkey Drive
Last week, NJGCA staff dropped off the check for our annual turkey drive to the Fulfill NJ food bank. Amid challenging economic times and hearing about increasing demand at state food banks, we wanted to continue our tradition of donating ahead of the holiday season. Thanks to the generosity of our members, we were able to donate $2,700 and 63 pounds of turkey this year, which in total is about 8,153 thanksgiving meals donated by our membership! Thank you again to everyone who donated! You can read the press release sent about our efforts HERE.
L to R: Nick De Palma (pictured with daughter Ilaria), Michelle Horowitz Jackson (pictured with son Noah), Joe Ocello, and Eric Blomgren of NJGCA drop off turkeys and donation to Fulfill NJ.
All classes held at NJGCA HQ -- 615 Hope Road, Building 2, 1st Floor, Eatontown, NJ 07724
ASE Training Course - Reach Out Today!
Are you (or an employee) getting ready to take your A6, A8, or L1 in preparation to recertifying your Emission Repair Technician (ERT) credentials through the State's Emission Technician Education Program (ETEP)?
We can help --- but we need to hear from you, first! NJGCA wants to hear from students interested in our ASE-prep training program, so we can gauge demand and schedule our next session series.
As you know, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) has always maintained a "dual-track" system to allow technicians to earn their Emission Repair Technician (ERT) credentials through New Jersey's Emission Technician Education Program (ETEP). In doing so, technicians were allowed to certify as ERTs through either an ASE-test track or an ETEP-educational class track. Starting on January 1, 2020, NJDEP amended the ETEP criteria, and the ETEP-educational class track was abolished.
Today, only the ASE-test track remains, and all ERTs must certify or re-certify their credentials though ASE to remain in the Program.
NJGCA has recently offered an ASE-prep class to help you get ready for the A6, A8, and L1. In doing so, students were welcome to participate in a ten-session preparatory class that covered material for all three ASE exams. We also had a handful of students who joined us only for the A8 or L1 sections.
Once completed, students took their ASE exams with a local ASE-approved test proctor (NJGCA can train you to prepare for the ASE exams, but are not permitted to offer the actual exam - students must make these arrangements individually themselves).
Building on that success, we are now seeking student participation in our next training series session. To make arrangements and organize a session, we need to hear from you!
Gov. Phil Murphy announced today that his administration will soon introduce a proposal to modernize the state’s liquor license law to help restaurants, which were among the hardest hit businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. “If the pandemic has changed the way [restaurants] have to do business, then we have to acknowledge that the pandemic must also lead us to change some of the laws that govern the businesses that were most impacted to ensure their future growth and our state’s economic growth,” Murphy said this afternoon at the New Jersey League of Municipalities’ delegates luncheon at the Sheraton Convention Center Hotel in Atlantic City. He called the state’s liquor license law byzantine and said it only serves to restrict supply and increase prices. He added that it lacks equitable access points for “countless small restaurants and communities of every size; urban, suburban and rural.”
Catalytic converter thefts continue to be reported in the township, police said. Catalytic converters valued at about $6,600 were taken from vehicles that were parked at a Woodward Road business earlier this month, police said. A Colts Neck resident told police that the converters were stolen sometime between 7 p.m. on Nov. 7 to 7 a.m. on Nov. 8. Another incident involving a catalytic converter theft was reported on Nov. 5.
As Congress heads into its lame duck session, more than 1,800 merchants from across the country called on lawmakers to pass legislation that would bring long-sought competition to credit card swipe fees that drive up costs for consumers. “Support for swipe fee competition is quickly building, and this letter from a broad cross section of merchants is proof,” said Doug Kantor, NACS general counsel and Merchants Payments Coalition executive committee member. “Signers range from gas stations and grocery stores to Main Street retailers and local restaurants. Swipe fees impact every segment of the merchant community and every consumer whether they pay by credit card or not. Wall Street banks and global card networks that dominate the industry by unfairly blocking competition have profited on the backs of small businesses and American families for far too long.”
New Jersey is the latest state to sue some of the world’s largest oil and gas companies, alleging they deceived the public for decades about the role fossil fuels play in exacerbating human-caused climate change and cost New Jerseyans billions of dollars in cleanup after deadly storms like Hurricane Sandy. The lawsuit, filed in New Jersey Superior Court in October, claims Exxon Mobil, Shell Oil, Chevron, BP, ConocoPhillips, and the American Petroleum Institute trade group – of which all the companies are members — violated the state’s Consumer Fraud Act through disinformation campaigns that began in the 1980s. “We know this is a tough fight,” New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. “I don't think the oil and gas companies that we're suing are going to lie down and say they're agreeing with us, but we're prepared to bring the fight on behalf of the residents of the state.” New Jersey follows nearly two dozen other states, counties and cities across the country that have brought similar complaints against the fossil fuel industry in recent years. But none of these cases have been resolved yet, raising questions about how a legal team proves who’s at fault for a calamity as large as climate change.
Just a decade ago, there were less than 500 chargers nationwide for motorists to recharge their electric vehicles. Nowadays, there are more than 128,000, a number that is poised to grow further with an infusion of $7.5 billion of federal funding to build a national network of charging stations. But for New Jersey, the growth has been more halting. The state has a goal of electrifying its transportation network by midcentury, yet it ranks only 28th among 50 states with vehicle chargers, according to a new study that suggests it may be an uphill push to achieve the transition to cleaner-running vehicles. “We need to see electric vehicle charging stations as commonplace as 7-Elevens and Wawas,’’ said Doug O’Malley, director of Environment New Jersey. “You shouldn’t have to hunt to find an EV charging station.’’
While a handful of races are still outstanding, we know that the GOP has gained the majority in the House for the 118th Congress. Republicans needed a net gain of five seats to take control, and they have accomplished a net gain of eight seats so far. . . The combination of a narrow Republican House majority and a razor thin Democrat majority in the Senate does allow the NACS government relations teams to make predictions on what we may see over the next two years: Gridlock will be the theme. Both chambers will seek to “jam” the other by using any “must pass” legislation to carry partisan priorities and passing those priorities as close to deadlines as possible. The chambers will have to come to some form of agreement on federal funding legislation and vote on the debt limit at some point during the coming summer. Expect significant partisan bickering and brinkmanship surrounding federal funding legislation and the national debt limit, as each party will seek to force concessions from the other in negotiations. The next two years of legislating may not be for the faint of heart.
In a letter sent to U.S. Senate and House leadership, a broad coalition of energy and agriculture organizations called on Congress to quickly adopt legislation that would resolve inconsistent fuel volatility regulations. Specifically, the groups expressed support for legislation that would result in equal regulatory treatment for all gasoline blends containing 10% ethanol (E10) or more, including gasoline with 15% ethanol (E15). Such legislation would permanently remove the regulatory barrier that has historically made it difficult for retailers to offer E15 in the summertime.
The Merchants Payments Coalition today unveiled a new TV commercial that takes aim at Visa’s sponsorship of the FIFA World Cup while refusing to allow competition over billions of dollars in “swipe” fees that drive up prices for consumers. “Visa is spending untold millions of dollars to promote competition in soccer even though it refuses to allow competition over swipe fees and how transactions are routed,” MPC Executive Committee member and National Association for Convenience Stores General Counsel Doug Kantor said. “Visa says it wants to ‘give football fans from around the world the best way to pay’ but it should start by allowing competition over the hidden fees that are charged every time soccer fans and other consumers use a credit card. If competition is good on the soccer field, it’s good on the swipe fee playing field as well.”
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.
