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BPN Staff

Compiled by BPN Staff

 

  • Feature Articles

    Propane’s 96-Year-Old ‘Unsung Hero’

    The number on Sam Knowles’ engineering license is 8077, which his friend Steve Moore of Expo Propane (Bellflower, Calif.) believes is one of the oldest civil engineering licenses issued in California. Knowles, who will turn 96 in April, built tank structures for many propane companies in California throughout his career before retiring his license last year. “When I went to a city to get a permit, once in a while the permit person at the counter who reviews the plans would say, ‘Wow, this is one of the oldest numbers I’ve ever seen,’ which is a real tribute,” said Moore, whose company is part of Energy Distribution Partners (EDP; Chicago). Knowles performed engineering work for Expo Propane, and prior to that in the 1970s for...

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  • Feature Articles

    Residential Propane Gaining on Electricity

    Mike Sloan of ICF (Fairfax, Va.) has noticed some positive developments in the residential market for propane after several years of struggle for that sector. Sloan and ICF have witnessed continued growth in the housing market, including propane housing starts in some regions. He expects to see further growth in propane’s market share of home heating as propane prices remain at low levels and competitive to other options. “The headline is, it’s a good time to be marketing propane in the residential and commercial markets,” Sloan said. He will expand on those comments in a presentation titled “2017 Propane Market Outlook” at the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) Southeastern Convention & International Expo in Nashville in April. During his session, he will discuss his belief...

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  • Insurance

    Pre-Planning Maximizes Insurance Claims

    Ken Wood of Wood Propane in Lytle Creek, a remote location in Southern California’s San Bernardino mountains, takes simple steps to keep his facilities safe in the event of a fire. But he believes his safety preparation saved his company’s locations from worse damage when in September 2016 the Cajon Pass forest fire burned in his area for several days and resulted in evacuations and some destroyed homes. Although Wood Propane lost a bobtail cab and chassis and a box truck filled with equipment as a result of the fire, simple steps helped the small propane company avoid more serious damage. The business’ safety measures prevented damage to its tank storage location that contained about 140 new and refurbished propane tanks. “The reason for our...

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  • Feature Articles

    Propane Prominent at 2017 Energy Independence Summit

    WASHINGTON, DC (February 13, 2017) — Today, Phil Squair, NPGA’s Senior Vice President of Public and Governmental Affairs, addressed more than 100 attendees of the 2017 of the Energy Independence Summit. The annual event brings together alternative fuel industry leaders from across the country to advocate for policies that will increase the use of propane, and other alternative fuels, across the United States. During a panel discussion highlighting the clean transportation policy accomplishments in 2016 and the Congressional outlook for 2017 Squair said, "There are great opportunities for propane and other alternative fuels in the new Administration. Specifically, lessening the regulatory burden and decreasing corporate taxes will help us grow alternative fuel use during the next decade." Nationally, propane employs about 80,000 people in primarily...

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  • Feature Articles

    Send Letters To Support Propane Getting Volkswagen Settlement Dollars

    Propane-powered vehicles are eligible for funding to offset the harmful nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions caused by the Volkswagen scandal. This is a unique position where states are being given money to replace older, dirtier diesel vehicles with much cleaner models. Propane has been successful in replacing diesel fleets. This settlement presents a great opportunity for propane marketers and other industry professionals to continue that success. For nearly six years, German automaker VW intentionally cheated the laboratory emissions testing, causing nearly 500,000 cars in the United States to emit 40 times the acceptable NOx standard. Last year, VW and the U.S. government reached an agreement where VW would establish a $2.7 billion environmental mitigation trust fund to offset the estimated 59,000 tons of excess NOx emissions....

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  • Technology

    Propane Industry Improves Customer Fueling Experience Through New Technology

    As propane vehicle technology becomes more advanced, propane dispensing infrastructure has evolved along with it. In particular, the propane industry is focusing much of its attention on enhancing the customer fueling experience by installing propane dispensers that are dedicated for vehicle fueling, and by upgrading the propane nozzle technology. The increasingly popular European-style, quick-connect nozzle simplifies the customer fueling experience by connecting to the fuel tank through a snap or quick-connect attachment, rather than a conventional threaded connection. Only after the nozzle is safely connected to the fuel tank will it begin to dispense fuel. This attachment eliminates the threading connection necessary with the conventional Acme nozzle, making propane fueling as easy as conventional gasoline fueling. With the new nozzle, fueling can be completed using...

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  • Feature Articles

    South Carolina Gets Fleet of 26 Clean-Operating Propane School Buses

    COLUMBIA, S.C. (February 9, 2017) — The first of 26 propane-powered school buses were unveiled today at a ceremony in Summerville. In an effort to be more economically and environmentally responsible, the state of South Carolina has purchased these new Blue Bird Vision Propane school buses to replace aging diesel buses. The alternative-fueled buses will be deployed to service Dorchester and Berkeley counties tomorrow. “While the South Carolina Department of Education is a low-bid state, we had heard about the propane technology that Blue Bird propane buses possess from various sources,” said Mike Bullman, director of maintenance for South Carolina Department of Education. “With aging diesel buses in our fleet, it was time to replace them and propane was the option we thought worked best...

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  • Feature Articles

    Winter Snowstorm to Hit Northeast, Snarl Travel from DC to New York City and Boston Thursday

    (February 8, 2017) A major, winter storm warning has been issued for several Northeastern states, with eight to 10 hours of heavy snow predicted along the eastern seaboard and the I-95 corridor. The overall greatest impact period from southwest to northeast is predicted to hit during the 3:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. period, with occasional thunder snow possible. Travel will be greatly restricted at times during the maximum snowfall period, as near blizzard conditions develop. The storm begins with rain and sleet before turning into significant snowfall that is expected to disrupt morning rush hour in cities including Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, and other areas, with a full scale blizzard dropping up to one foot of snow in northeastern Pennsylvania and southern New...

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  • Equipment

    Survey Findings Report Propane Equipment Receives High Marks From Golf Course Superintendents

    WASHINGTON (February 8, 2017) – Final survey data from an equipment demonstration program shows golf maintenance equipment powered by propane can dramatically reduce emissions while saving superintendents money through lower fuel and maintenance costs compared to similar equipment powered by traditional fuels. “Propane scored really well with the superintendents and, possibly just as important, with their operators and service technicians,” said Jeremy Wishart, deputy director of business development at the Propane Education & Research Council. “They got to see firsthand that propane has some incredible environmental, financial, and operational benefits.” The Propane Education & Research Council’s Golf Demo Program tested propane maintenance equipment at eight high-profile golf courses for up to a year from 2015 to 2016. In return for the equipment, each course recorded...

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  • Feature Articles

    Propane’s Bright Future In Agriculture Continues To Grow

    Propane has a strong history in agriculture and has a bright future, said Tucker Perkins, chief business development officer at the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC). Perkins made his remarks during a presentation last November at the World LP Gas Association’s World Forum in Florence, Italy. The use of propane for a wide variety of agricultural applications and equipment is steadily increasing across the U.S. In a presentation titled, “Agricultural Market Development in the United States,” Perkins discussed various applications of propane on the farm, noting that grain drying offers high demand in a short season for propane marketers, with each grain dryer using 20,000 gallons or more per season. Also, a livestock heater can use 30,000 gallons or more per season, and each...

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