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BPN Staff

Compiled by BPN Staff

 

  • Feature Articles

    Sen. Manchin Questions Officials About Appalachian Storage

    (September 11, 2019) — U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has closely questioned details of an $83-billion Chinese investment in his state. Manchin, a supporter of a proposed Appalachian NGL storage hub, expressed his concerns during a committee hearing to examine the importance of energy innovation to economic growth and competitiveness. Heard was testimony from Brian Anderson, director of the National Energy Technology Labora- tory and John Deskins, director of the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at West Virginia University. The senator expressed his growing concern over the lack of transparency surrounding the Chinese investment in West Virginia’s energy sector under a memorandum of understanding (MOU). Manchin observed that the significant $83-billion investment is welcome...

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  • Feature Articles

    Taking Responsibility Is Priority In Propane Industry

    by Richard Fredenburg… We all know that life is full of responsibilities. As adults, there are aspects to our personal and professional lives that nobody else can or will take over. Some are major and some are minor, but they still fall on our shoulders. I remember in my youth that my parents got me out of bed for school and church. Then they decided I could take on that responsibility and they bought me an alarm clock. They eased me into it for a while, making sure that I was up. Then they left it to me, even if it meant that I might have to miss breakfast or be late. It was a training process. It’s a responsibility that continues to this day....

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  • Feature Articles

    BantamWesson Acquires Oxford Oil in Connecticut

    (September 11, 2019) — Cetane Associates LLC has announced that BantamWesson , headquartered in Waterbury, Connecticut, has acquired Oxford Oil Company, LLC , based in Oxford, Connecticut. Founded in 1953, Oxford Oil is a full-service heating oil and propane business with residential customers located in the corridor between Waterbury and New Haven, Connecticut. Energy Management Professionals, LLC, which operates under the name BantamWesson, was formed in 2016 with the merger of Bantam Supply Co., Inc. and Wesson Energy, Inc. With locations in Bantam, Connecticut and Canton, Connecticut, BantamWesson sells and delivers propane and bio-heating fuels and performs HVAC, plumbing, electrical, energy audit, home automation, and air quality services throughout western and central Connecticut. In a thank you letter to Cetane, Tom Biondi, President of Oxford...

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  • Feature Articles

    ThompsonGas Acquires Quality Propane

    (September 10, 2019) — ThompsonGas (Frederick, Md.) has acquired Quality Propane, a heating fuel provider in Chippewa Falls, Wisc. Details regarding the transaction were not released. ThompsonGas said it was proud to welcome Quality Propane and is committed to serving the residential, commercial, and industrial customers who have valued the company for more than 20 years. “Bryan Nayes built a company with strong values and a commitment to customer service,” said Derek Ashmore, regional vice president at ThompsonGas. “The opportunity to carry on his legacy with Quality Propane is truly an honor and a privilege. We look forward to offering additional value and services to the local area and beyond.” “The strong communities in northern Wisconsin make it an excellent place to do business,” added...

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  • People

    Anova Hires Danelle DiLibero as Vice President of People and Culture

    New Providence, New Jersey (September 10th, 2019) — Anova recently announced that Danelle DiLibero will serve as its new vice president of people & culture. An accomplished human resources and talent professional, Danelle will lead Anova's end-to-end employee experience, ensuring Anova has the key strategies in place to accelerate a culture of performance excellence, high engagement and continuous improvement. Danelle has more than 20 years of experience within various industries, including financial services (Goldman Sachs), consulting (BCG), engineering and manufacturing (Sensata Technologies), and technology (RMS). She joins Anova from her most recent position as the global head of talent acquisition at Verisk Analytics. In her new role, Danelle will establish the overall people and talent strategies and organizational development plans to attract and develop top...

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  • Feature Articles

    Nebraska Providing Rebates to Replace 62 Dirty Diesel School Buses With Clean Autogas

    (September 9, 2019) — The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) said in August the state is awarding more than $2.6 million in rebates to schools across the state to assist in the replacement of older diesel school buses. The funded projects include 60 public school dis- tricts, one private school, and one bus contractor serving a public school district. Each project will replace one older diesel bus with a new bus with lower emissions, said Jim Macy, NDEE director. The department initially planned to fund 32 rebates but because of high demand all 62 applicants received funding. “The department received a large number of applications from schools across the state,” Macy said. “The funds available for this program give us the opportunity to...

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  • Feature Articles

    Corn Crop Showing Consistent Growth, But 2 Weeks Behind

    (September 6, 2019) — The National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) writes that the U.S. corn crop is showing consistent growth in the eastern corn belt, but it remains about two weeks behind schedule compared to an average season. Meanwhile, soybeans have a better ability to recover from adverse conditions, said Michael Newland, director of agri- culture business development at the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC). And while crop harvests may be later in the year due to widespread Midwest flooding last spring, the volume this year remains unclear. In the meantime, weather forecasts through fall have everyone buzzing in the agriculture sector. NPGA and PERC are encouraging propane marketers to communicate with their agriculture customers early and often during the crop-drying season. The U.S....

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  • Feature Articles

    Green Fleet Winners Recognized at Conference; Alliance Autogas Fleets Receive 5 Awards

    Winners of the 2019 Green Fleet Awards were announced in a ceremony just prior to the third annual Sustainable Fleet Technology Conference in early August at the Durham Convention Center in Durham, N.C. The awards program recognized fleets for their peak-performing fleet operations in North America and South America. Alliance AutoGas participated in the conference. Currently in its 12th year, the program’s 100 Best Fleets identifies and encourages increasing levels of performance improvement and innovation within the public fleet industry. Rankings are based on multiple factors, including fuel emissions, fleet composition, supporting programs, and fleet utilization. Five of the fleets recognized this year were Alliance AutoGas customers. They included DeKalb County, Ga., ranked 10th; Cobb County, Ga., 27th; city of Raleigh, N.C., 33rd; and Prince...

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  • Feature Articles

    China Imposes Additional 5% Tariffs on U.S. Propane, Butane

    (September 5, 2019) — China has imposed additional 5% tariffs on imports of U.S. propane and butane, the State Council’s Tariff Commission said in a statement Aug. 23 on the Ministry of Finance website, S&P Global Platts reports. The tariff on butane took effect Sept. 1, while the tariff on U.S. propane will take effect from Dec. 15, 2019. This takes the tariff on each fuel to 31%, as China has already imposed 26% tariffs on them. They are part of a new set of levies on $75 billion worth of U.S. import goods that will be implemented in two batches from Sept. 1 and Dec. 15, in retaliation for U.S. tariffs on $300 billion of Chinese goods announced Aug. 15. Beijing has also added...

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  • Feature Articles

    ATA Hails Release of Proposed HOS Changes

    (September 5, 2019) — The American Trucking Associations (ATA) is welcoming the release of proposed changes to the nation’s hours-of-service rules by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, noting the changes are intended to improve safety on the country’s highways while providing additional flexibility for professional drivers. “Secretary Chao and administrator Martinez are to be commended for their commitment to an open and data-driven process to update the hours-of-service rules,” said ATA president and CEO Chris Spear. “We look forward to studying and understanding how these pro- posed changes will impact our industry so we can provide relevant data and information to strengthen and support a good final rule that bolsters safety and provides drivers needed flexibility.” ATA remarked the proposed rule maintains the regulation’s...

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