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Updates from NYPGA - December 12, 2014
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Published Weekly by NYPGA
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PERC Restriction: Fixed?
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NPGA reported yesterday that H.R. 5705, the Propane Education and Research Enhancement Act of 2014, passed the House of Representatives on Tuesday, December 9, and subsequently passed the Senate on the following day. The legislation, authored by Rep. Bob Latta (OH) and Rep. Tim Walz (MN), amends the Propane Education and Research Act (PERA) to update the data that must be used to calculate a critical price comparison.
Under PERA, the Department of Commerce (DOC) must calculate annually the price for "consumer grade propane" and compare it with an index of prices of specified competing fuels. If the price of propane exceeds a specified threshold, the industry is restricted from conducting most educational outreach activities. In 2009, due to a misinterpretation of the law by the DOC, the restriction was triggered and all educational outreach ceased.
While the law requires DOC to recalculate the price comparison every six months, it has only been completed three times in the last five years. H.R. 5705 would specify Congressional intent that DOC must use data reflecting all propane sectors, not just residential.
This legislation now awaits the signature of President Obama to become law, and PERC said it will "fully expect" the President to sign this bill into law in the coming days.
"This is huge", said NYPGA President Rick Cummings.
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NYPGA Gets the Word Out, Stays Visible, Engages
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As 2014 comes to a close, NYPGA is pleased to report that it is in its eighth year of a coordinated public relations effort on behalf of NYPGA members and the industry. In 2014 Counsel and Spokespersons for NYPGA, Strategic Communications, LLC, created and distributed 20 news releases on behalf of NYPGA. These included: - our industry's response to the propane supply and pricing crisis at the beginning of the year, as well as proactive updates on supply in NY and across the country
- proactive storm preparation and recovery safety tips for Winter Weather and Summer Storms
- several strategically timed news releases about grill safety, including Memorial Day, Father's Day, and the 4th of July
- publicity with local news and industry media for NYPGA's Industry Responders' Conference in Long Island
- announcements for this year's college scholarship recipients, and
- preparation and safety tips for both fall and winter.
These efforts resulted in interviews and generation of more than 70 stories using NYPGA messages to educate consumers about the benefits and safety of propane. In addition to this tracked activity, our efforts resulted in unscheduled broadcast airings (on radio and TV) throughout the year; along with 30 stories in New York that used messages created on PERC's behalf during the winter supply crisis, and 70 stories that covered the proposed LPG storage facility in the Finger Lakes region.
NYPGA, and now new NYPGA Exec Shane Sweet, with whom Strategic Communications has worked in the past, will continue to work with Strategic Communications to ensure that we address issues proactively, respond to inquiries and crises in a timely fashion, and always speak with a unified voice.
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Marcellus = Lower Propane Prices
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PERC reported this week on a piece out of Pennsylvania stating that Marcellus Shale is contributing to fuel lower natural and propane gas prices this winter.
Marcellus shale development was cited as a cause for natural gas prices in the PA mid-state being 4.7 percent lower that last year as winter begins.
Marcellus was also attributed to lower propane prices, said Mike Mutter, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Propane Gas Association, the article in the The Patriot-News (Harrisburg, Pa.) said.
The article stated that factors resulting in lower prices also included plentiful supply and warmer temperatures thus far this winter. 12/12/14
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New Chair for NYPGA Marketing Committee
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Matt Meehan of NYPGA member Mirabito Energy has been named Chair of the NYPGA Marketing Committee. Matt succeeds Larry Young of SuperiorPlus, who left as Chair after years at the helm of that Committee. Larry remains active in NYPGA and NYPGA thanks Larry for his past efforts. 12/12/14
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Thousands of Stuffers; Finger Lakes Project
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Thousands of bill stuffers have been ordered by industry members thus far. Used to support the Finger Lakes Project, these bill stuffers (follow the sample linked below) can be shipped and mailed to you at no cost. Visit the link below and request enough bill stuffers to share with your customers. All dealers that request bill stuffers will be recognized at NYPGA's Spring Conference for your efforts and will be automatically enrolled in a drawing to win a FREE iPad.
To view a sample: Bill stuffer or email NYPGA for a pdf.
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NYPGA, PERC NY Boards
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The year-end NYPGA Board of Directors' meeting, as well as NY PERC Board meeting, were held in Colonie this past Wednesday. A full report will come in next week's issue. For more information, contact NYPGA at nypga@nycap.rr.com
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Membership in NYPGA
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NYPGA regularly publishes the name of new members here, as well as those that sponsored the new member. Ask us for a recent list of NPGA member companies - and/or - get a membership applicationto pass on to prospective members.
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Newsletter List - Verification Requests Coming
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NYPGA will be sending confirmation requests to everyone that is on the weekly newsletter list. The purpose will be to:
- verify that we have complete information on all NYPGA contacts
- ensure that all those on the newsletter list are aware of the new weekly publication
NYPGA sends newsletters like this to over 460 member contacts using Constant Contact. Constant Contact tells NYPGA how many recipients are opening the newsletters, how many addresses are valid, how many are not valid, and so on. The verification letters will be sent using email, fax or mail, depending on the information NYPGA has on file for the contact, and the letters will ask that any amendments to the contact's information be either emailed, faxed or mailed back to NYPGA so the association can update the contact's information.
If by some chance you are reading this because you received it from someone other than NYPGA, please send your complete contact information to NYPGA and we will make sure you are added to the list to receive future publications directly.
BOUNCED: We have a short list of email addresses that are not getting to the intended recipients and we are working to cure these one at a time.
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Add NYPGA to your Safe List
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The new weekly update is emailed only. Make sure your the NYPGA newsletter is on your email "safe list". The settings of your email client, Microsoft Outlook, as an example, may impact how the NYPGA newsletter is being delivered. In some cases, your mail server may also be intercepting NYPGA newsletters. To ensure you receive the weekly updates, please check the settings on your email client (software), or check with your mail server provider about "white listing" NYPGA.
See
http://support2.constantcontact.com/articles/FAQ/2753 for instruction on how to change your settings to ensure the NYPGA weekly update is not redirected to a SPAM folder. 12/5/14
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Wanted
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Mike Taylor of CES sends word: Wanted: Top loading fuel oil plant equipment; loading arms, meters, pumps, etc...
Contact Mike at (845) 794-6226, or mtaylor@combinedenergyservices.com 12/12/14
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| 2015 Sponsors So Far | |
The offering has only been out a week and we are pleased to announce the 2015 Sponsorship commitments received thus far are as follows:
Corporate Sponsors
NGL Wholesale Supply
A.R.M Solutions
Ray Murray Inc
Advertising Sponsors
Hiltz Propane Systems
It is early yet and the 2015 NYPGA Sponsorship reservation form in pdf format is available via the link in this sentence or by emailing Barb at nypga@nycap.rr.com 12/12/14
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Send NYPGA Your News
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Have news that you would like to get out? Send your company news to NYPGA, and we will do our best to publish it in the weekly NYPGA publication. Please add us to your list.
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PO Box 760
Clifton Park, New York 12065
518-383-3823
518-383-3824 (Fax)
Contacts
Shane Sweet
NYPGA Executive & Technical Director
shanemsweet@gmail.com
802.558.6101 cell/text
855-NYS-1075 (855-697-1075) FAX
 | | scan this QR code to add Shane Sweet of NYPGA to your phone address book |
Barbara Roach
NYPGA Associate Executive Director
nypga@nycap.rr.com
518.961.0435 cell
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2014 NYPGA Corporate Sponsors:
Kurtz Truck Equipment www.kurtztruckequipment.com
Crestwood LP www.crestwoodlp.com/wholesale
Enterprise Products www.enterpriseproducts.com
NGL Supply Wholesale www.nglsupplyinc.com
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