From wastewater-treatment facilities to swimming pools, from factories to apartment buildings, combined heat and power (CHP) units have long provided American energy. But they have been underutilized, something proponents hope is changing. CHP is on-site electricity generation that captures the heat that would otherwise be wasted to provide useful thermal energy such as steam or hot water that can be used for space heating, cooling, domestic hot water, and industrial processes. CHP can achieve efficiencies of more than 80%, compared to 50% for conventional technologies (i.e., grid-supplied electricity and an on-site boiler), says the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). According to EPA, CHP has a long history, especially in the United States. Decentralized CHP systems located at industrial and municipal sites were the foundation of the...

WASHINGTON (September 14, 2017) – This school year nearly 790,000 students will be riding school buses powered by propane rather than gasoline or diesel fuel. It’s a trend that continues to sweep the nation. “Propane school buses present so many advantages for students, school districts and their communities,” said Tucker Perkins, Propane Education & Research Council president and CEO. “These buses are quieter and offer reduced emissions compared to old diesel buses, making them a better option for students, drivers and the community. They cost less to operate, too, so schools can put more money back into the classroom where it can impact students most.” The trend of propane school buses is growing fast. This fall, 750 school districts in 47 states are operating more...

After months of research, focus groups, and strategizing sessions about how to increase the propane industry’s ability to speak with one unified voice and strengthen its position globally, the World LPG Association (WLPGA) has completed a three-year strategic plan. Headed by the WLPGA secretariat, in collaboration with the association’s Strategic Review Committee, and led by WLPGA’s marketing and communications director Alison Abbott, the strategic review identifies the association’s mission, goals, and objectives, and puts in motion strategies and tactics that will guide the work of WLPGA over the next three years. The plan will be updated when appropriate to ensure continuing clarity, relevance, and feasibility. The theme of the WLPGA 2017-2019 Strategic Review is “Growing Influence, Increasing Impact,” which illustrates the association’s principal strategic objective — to...

Kansas City, MO (September 7, 2017) – Crestwood Services, the Supply & Logistics unit of Crestwood Equity Partners LP, celebrated the official Grand Opening of its new rail terminal in Montgomery, New York, which is now fully operational. The terminal – believed to be the largest propane rail terminal in the United States – will provide propane marketers across New York, New England and other parts of the Northeast with reliable supply year ‘round. The terminal’s state-of-the-art design includes a 16-spot rail rack operating two switches per day, assuring a capacity of up to 100 trucks per day. The four-spot truck rack with can pumps loads four trucks in 17 minutes, eliminating long wait times during peak winter months and optimizing daily transportation. “The Montgomery...

(September 5, 2017) West Virginia University (WVU)-led research has resulted in a recently released study that shows how the region around West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio can support storage facilities that are critical for attracting petrochemical and related industries to the area. “Appalachia is poised for a renaissance of the petrochemical industry due to the availability of natural gas liquids,” said Brian Anderson, director of the WVU Energy Institute. “A critical path for this rebirth is through the development of infrastructure to support the industry. The Appalachian Storage Hub study is the first step for realizing that necessary infrastructure.” Geologic formations were studied in Pennsylvania and Ohio that could offer suitable locations for developers to build underground storages for NGLs from Marcellus and Utica wells....

Austin, Tex. (September 5, 2017) — The Texas Propane Gas Association (TPGA) needs our help to secure funds to assist residential propane consumers in Texas affected by Hurricane Harvey. The TPGA Disaster Relief Fund was established to help aid residential propane customers affected by Hurricane Harvey in need of help with their residential propane equipment. The TPGA has set up this fund to help off set the cost of safely returning into service affected equipment at the homes of existing residential propane customers in counties devastated by Hurricane Harvey. The TPGA will manage the fund with oversight of the Board of Directors. Weekly updates will be provided through social media and TPGA communications. Additional program details and how to apply for funds will be forthcoming....

Reps. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and Randy Weber (R-Texas), chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy, have sent a letter to Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin requesting an investigation into what appears to be a concerted effort by Russia to funnel millions of dollars through various nonprofit groups to influence the U.S. energy market. Specifically, the congressmen point to evidence Russia is funding anti-fossil fuel and anti-hydraulic fracturing groups in order to bolster its own energy sector dominance. “This scheme allows money originating from foreign countries like Russia to funnel through Bermuda-based shell companies to environmental groups in the United States with the aim of disrupting the U.S. energy industry,” the letter alleges. Further, “entities connected...