(July 29, 2019) — Agility Fuel Solutions (Costa Mesa, Calif.), a provider of clean fuel solutions for medium- and heavy- duty commercial vehicles, recently announced it has received 2020 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certification for its 488LPI propane engine for sale in truck and bus applications. The 488LPI is built using Agility Fuel’s patented liquid propane injection technology to ensure consistent injection of propane in liquid state across all cylinders under all operating conditions, thereby improving engine performance. Agility designed the engine for reliability, with improvements such as a valve train with roller rockers and newly designed dress parts specifically engineered to ensure durability and fuel efficiency. A custom configuration of the 488LPI is supplied to Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. (FCCC) as part of...

(July 29, 2019) — Energy Distribution Partners (“EDP”), based in Chicago, Illinois, has announced the acquisition of Fallbrook Propane Gas Company with operations in and around Fallbrook, California; making EDP one of California’s largest propane service providers. Fallbrook Propane was founded as North County Welding Supply, Inc. in 1986 by Merrill and Deborah Everett. The business soon expanded to include propane, and the Everett’s children joined Fallbrook Propane after college, contributing to the company’s significant success. As a result, Fallbrook Propane has grown to become a well respected propane supplier that serves more than 8,000 customers. Although the customer base is primarily residential, Fallbrook Propane also serves multiple casinos as well as other commercial businesses and agricultural operations. The operating territory includes all of San...

Enterprise Products Partners LP (Houston) has launched additional expansion projects, some of which will increase the company’s capacity to load LPG, polymer-grade propylene (PGP), and crude oil from its Enterprise Hydrocarbon Terminal (EHT) on the Houston Ship Channel. Currently, Enterprise’s nameplate LPG loading capacity is about 660,000 bbld. Previously, the partnership outlined an initiative to add 175,000 bbld of capacity, which is under construction and expected to be completed late in the third quarter of this year. New Ship Channel projects will increase incremental LPG loading by another 260,000 bbld and are expected to be in service in the third quarter of 2020. When completed, the projects will elevate EHT nameplate LPG loading capability to nearly 1.1 MMbbld, or about 33 MMbbl a month. Further,...

Forward Energy , a subsidiary of Forward Corp. (Standish, Mich.) has acquired the propane division of Hirschman Oil and Propane, an 85-year-old company headquartered in Reese, Mich. Details regarding the transaction were not released. Forward Energy said the purchase boosts its strategic growth, both in number of customers and service area. Now primarily serving customers in central and northern Michigan, the acquisition expands Forward Energy’s reach farther south and into the state’s Thumb region. Forward said it will now serve more than 6000 propane customers across 23 counties, making it one of the largest locally owned suppliers in Michigan. “This is a very exciting time for Forward Energy,” said Abby Moniz, president of Forward Corp. “Our propane division continues to thrive, and acquiring a quality,...

WASHINGTON (July 17, 2019) — U.S. producers of steel propane cylinders hailed today's final determination of the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) that imports of steel propane cylinders from China and Thailand are causing injury to the domestic industry. The Commission vote was unanimous, with four members of the ITC voting in the affirmative and one member recused. This was the final step in the antidumping and countervailing duty investigations filed by Worthington Industries, Inc. and Manchester Tank and Equipment on May 22, 2018. The ITC's decision follows the June 17, 2019 determination by the U.S. Department of Commerce ("Commerce") that imports of steel propane cylinders from China and Thailand were dumped and that imports from China were also subsidized. Imports from China and Thailand...

Data from the MetLife & U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Index the second quarter 2019 indicate that employers are experiencing a boost in confidence about the state of the national economy and their financial future. The overall index score increased to 68.7, up from 65.6 the prior quarter, indicating that nearly 69% of small business owners currently have a positive outlook about their companies and the small business environment. This 3.1-point rebound follows a drop during the first three months of 2019 and matches the largest quarter-to-quarter increase in economic confidence since the index began in 2017. The Chamber of Commerce remarks that it is hard to pinpoint what is behind the uptick. The survey doesn’t ask respondents why they feel the way they...

(July 8, 2019) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued its final Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule, replacing the previous administration’s “overreaching” Clean Power Plan with a regulation it says restores the rule of law and empowers states to continue to reduce emissions while providing affordable and reliable energy for all Americans. The June 19 action was the culmination of a review of the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan (CPP), which was done in response to President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 13873—Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth. The move also follows challenges from a large number of states, trade associations, rural electric cooperatives, and labor unions, who argued the CPP exceeded EPA’s authority under the Clean Air Act. Writing of a new final...