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Feature Articles

In-depth feature stories examining the trends, challenges and innovations shaping the propane and LPG industry.

  • Canada’s Largest Propane Supplier Partners With Restaurant Association

    TORONTO, Jan. 23, 2020 — Restaurants Canada (founded as the Canadian Restaurant Association in 1944) announced it has formed a new membership savings program partnership with Superior Propane , Canada’s largest propane supplier. Restaurants Canada members will immediately receive exclusive credits with a new Business Bundle package when they switch to Superior Propane. “Whether it’s staffing or food matters, we know operators have more important tasks to juggle than monitoring and ordering propane,” said Director of Membership at Restaurants Canada, Christopher Barry. “They need the convenience and reliability that comes with Superior Propane’s SMART* Tank™ monitoring technology and industry-first mobile app, which make it easy for our members to manage their propane needs and stay focused on their business of creating great customer experiences." With…
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  • Key Numbers To Watch Vary By Company and Current Goals

    (January 22, 2020) — Recent supply challenges in Iowa and across the Midwest serve as a reminder that retail propane marketers can enjoy much greater success if they are making decisions based on real-time market knowledge. “Buying the cheapest posted price on a given day isn’t always the best strategy,” said Marty Lerum, managing partner at Propane Resources (Mission, Kan.). “Supply security is also extremely important, even if it means paying a little extra.” Lerum feels that retail marketers need to be aware that with a changing marketing environment, some producer/wholesalers are opting out of doing small contracts and spot loads for retail propane marketers. “They are focusing more on selling larger volumes to larger buyers that will guarantee a rate of return on their…
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  • Grant Funding Available For Propane Autogas Vehicles, School Buses

    (January 21, 2020) — The Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) provides funding for private- and public-sector fleets to replace aging diesel trucks and vehicles in an effort to reduce harmful Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) and other harmful pollutants emitted by dirty diesel engines. Funding applies to vehicles Class 5 and up, including transit and school buses. Nationally, approximately $44 million will be available in grant funding. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 (Kan,, Mo, Neb., Iowa), predicts about $3.2 million in federal funding, with a limit of $1.5 million on any single application. DERA allows a variety of approaches to cutting emissions and saving fuel. Participants can swap old for new diesel, but can also choose cleaner fuels, such as propane autogas, natural gas…
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  • Grain Drying Demand, Early Cold, Spawn Propane Supply Challenges

    (January 21, 2020) — Heavy rains produced record flooding in the Midwest in early 2019, wreaking havoc in communities and on farms. Sustained precipitation caused marked postponements for crop seeding in the spring, and many acres weren’t planted at all. Fallout from the flooding hit again in the fall and produced severe propane distribution constraints throughout America’s Breadbasket. Farmers who earlier struggled for months with swamped fields, fewer planted acres, and commodity price uncertainty now endured the multiple challenges of a delayed, wet harvest and the early onset of cold temperatures and snowfall. Mother Nature determined that record levels of prompt propane were needed to dry sodden grains at harvest time, and just for good measure swept the Heartland with cold and snow so space…
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  • EPA Seeks Comments on Cleaner Trucks Initiative Proposal

    (January 20, 2020) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is soliciting pre-proposal comments on a rulemaking effort known as the Cleaner Trucks Initiative (CTI). This Advance Notice of Proposed Rule (ANPR) describes EPA’s plans for a rulemaking that would establish new emission standards for oxides of nitrogen (NOx) for highway heavy-duty engines. It also describes opportunities to streamline and improve certifcation procedures to reduce costs for engine manufacturers. The EPA is seeking input on this effort from the public, including all interested stakeholders. The purpose of the CTI is to update EPA emissions standards for NOx and potentially other criteria pollutants from highway heavy-duty vehicles and engines. In this ANPR, EPA provides stakeholders with our early thinking on CTI principles and program elements and…
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  • In Memoriam: Sam McTier

    (January 20, 2020) — The propane industry morns the loss of Samuel E. McTier, 93, an elder statesman of the propane industry and longtime member of the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA). McTier died peacefully on January 11, 2020, in Lake Forest, Illinois, where he was a longtime resident. Born in El Paso, Texas, on June 16, 1926, Sam was a child prodigy, playing the violin and viola at age ten in the El Paso Symphony Orchestra, and graduating from Austin High School in El Paso at 14. He graduated from the University of Colorado in Boulder as a Mechanical Engineer. Sam served both in the Navy in WWII and the Korean War. In 1946 Sam settled in the Chicago area and began his career…
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  • Non-OPEC Production Grows at Record Speed

    (January 16, 2020) — Oil production from non-OPEC countries is expected to grow at record speed in 2020, reports Norway’s Rystad Energy, creating a headache for the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, which was meeting in Vienna in early December to discuss extending oil production cuts. Rystad Energy predicts that total non-OPEC production, crude oil and condensate, will grow by about 2.26 MMbbld in 2020, creating a challenge for OPEC and Russia as they attempt to balance the global oil market this year. The non-OPEC rise in output will eclipse the 40-year-old record by a wide margin. “The record-high production growth from non-OPEC tight oil and offshore puts significant pressure on OPEC’s ability to balance the oil market in 2020,” says Espen Erlingsen, head…
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  • Gift Of Lights Event Benefits Local Children, Firefighters

    (January 15, 2020) — Three local New Hampshire nonprofits experienced the true spirit of the season this year thanks to the annual " Gift of Lights " holiday event presented each year by Eastern Propane & Oil at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS). The event, which was launched in 2011, runs each year from Thanksgiving through January 5th. This year's fundraising efforts benefitted the Speedway Children’s Charities New Hampshire Chapter with $30,000; provided an extra 4,800 meals to the Loudon Food Pantry, and supported the Loudon Firefighters Association with a $4,000 donation. Gift of Lights visitors received a discount on their admission when they brought at least three non-perishable food items to donate to the Loudon Food Pantry. These donations contributed to a total…
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  • ROUSH CleanTech: 20,000 Autogas Vehicles and Counting

    (January 15, 2020) — When ROUSH CleanTech (Livonia, Mich.) sold eight propane autogas-fueled delivery trucks in December 2019, it achieved a milestone—the sale included its 20,000th autogas vehicle. The manufacturer of alternative fuel vehicles has built and deployed that many autogas-fueled Ford trucks and Blue Bird school buses since its formation in 2010. It has sold them to more than 1200 fleets across North America. The road to this milestone began in 2006 with a $1.2-million grant from the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) for development of a liquid propane autogas fuel system for the Ford F-150. Greg Zilberfarb, an alternative fuel vehicle consultant at PERC and CEO and president at TSN Communications, had introduced PERC to Roush Enterprises. PERC had been looking to…
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  • Where Do We Grow From Here? A Propane Inspiration Home Leads The Way

    (January 13, 2020) — Last June, the Missouri Propane Education and Research Council (MOPERC) wrapped up promotional activities for a model home at Lake of the Ozarks that featured propane appliances throughout. In partnership with developer Dave Leathers, the Propane Inspiration Home showcased the many benefits propane can provide for homeowners beyond space heating and hot water. “The partnership was beneficial for all concerned,” Steve Ahrens, MOPERC president, told BPN. “The developer’s goal was to raise funds for a local food pantry through the sale of the home. MOPERC’s goal was to generate video and photo assets that we could use in future marketing. We both gained a new appreciation for working with homebuilders and subcontractors to incorporate propane appliances.” A HOUSE IS BORN The…
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  • House Democrats Propose Halt To Production on Public Lands

    (January 10, 2020) — Positioning their climate agenda for 2020, House Democrats in December introduced sweeping climate legislation that calls for halting fossil fuel production on public lands for a minimum of a year. The bill is to prepare the U.S. for drastic cuts in output in order to meet so called “warming pollution” goals. As reported by The Hill, the legislation from House Natural Resources Committee requires the Department of the Interior to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions on public lands by 2040. “The Trump administration is handing out drilling and coal mining leases like candy, and no thought is ever given by this administration to the climate change impacts,” asserted Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), a bill sponsor and chairman of the committee. “Our…
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  • Superior Plus Announces The Acquisition of Western Propane Service

    TORONTO (January 9, 2020) — Superior Plus Corp . announced that it has acquired Western Propane Service with locations in Santa Maria, Ventura, and Lebec, California. Founded in 1988, Western Propane Service is an established independent retail propane distributor serving approximately 6,000 retail and commercial customers in Southern California. “The acquisition of Western Propane Service is Superior’s first tuck-in acquisition in 2020 and its second retail propane acquisition in California. This acquisition demonstrates our commitment to growing our retail footprint in California, which is the largest retail propane market in the U.S.,” said Luc Desjardins, Superior’s President and CEO. About Superior Plus Corp.: Superior Plus consists of two primary operating businesses: Energy Distribution includes the distribution of propane and distillates, and supply portfolio management; and…
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