Cold Refineries 1 20
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Arctic Temperatures Put Chill on Refinery Operations

Genscape, a global provider of data and intelligence for the commodity and energy markets, reports that as people throughout the U.S. continue to be affected by extreme cold temperatures, so do major oil refiners. Since Jan. 6, there have been four incidents at refineries directly linked to the cold weather.
Canada 1 20
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Canadian Inventories Post Steep Fall

Canadian propane inventories fell a sharp 24.1% in December compared to November levels, shedding 240.2 Mcm to stand at 756.2 Mcm—4.8 MMbbl—as of Jan. 1, according to the National Energy Board (NEB). In a year-over-year comparison, stocks were down a steeper 29.4%, or by 314.8 Mcm.
Calculator App 1 20
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Free Energy Calculator App Compares Costs, Emissions

The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) has introduced a free energy calculator app that gives construction professionals and propane marketers a faster way to compare fuel emissions and heating costs. The app is now available as a free download for Apple and Android mobile devices.
Various Applications Ahead for CARB-Certified Dual-Fuel Engine
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Michael Avery, CEO of California Clean Air Technologies (CCAT; Menifee, Calif.), noted some important reasons why the company chose stationary farm equipment as the first products to use its Dual Fuel Retrofit System (DFRS), which works with existing diesel engines in combination with propane.
An Entrepreneurial Spirit For 3 Generations
Monday, December 16, 2013
For the past 75 years, three generations of the Nicholson family have worked to make Eastern Propane the thriving propane business that it is today. Like many propane companies that were founded in the 1930s and '40s, it was the result of fulfilling a necessity, whether due to the population expansion that created more homes in rural locales or to facilitate the use of new appliances for cooking and water heating.
Steam Up the Big Muddy, Turn Right at the Ohio
Monday, December 16, 2013
What a voyage. Stillwater, Okla.-based Total Energy's heavy haul division earlier this year barged six 168-ft-long, 350,000-lb ASME propane tanks from Louisiana to Steubenville, Ohio, plowing the Mighty Mississippi River north through St. Louis to Cairo, Ill. where the Big Muddy meets the Ohio River. After hanging a right into the Mississippi's largest tributary, it was another long passage northeast to Steubenville, where the 175,000-gal. containers were offloaded for over-the-road delivery to a midstream operator in eastern Ohio's Utica Shale.
Preparing Bobtails for Winter: A Year-Round Job
Thursday, October 3, 2013
While some propane marketers are now preparing their bobtail trucks for the upcoming winter, Jim Krzywicki’s trucks are already done. Krzywicki, operations manager for Palmer Gas/Ermer Oil Co. (Atkinson, N.H.), starts preparing the trucks for winter earlier. A lot earlier.
He begins preparing his trucks the day after the previous winter ends.

“Things you do to prepare for winter you should be doing year-round for preventive maintenance,” said Krzywicki, who has been with Palmer Gas/Ermer Oil for 37 years.
Vehicle Barrier Protection Among New NFPA 58 Edition Updates
Thursday, October 3, 2013
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) technical committee’s work was complete last January for the 2014 edition of NFPA 58, the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code. The NFPA 58 committee had finished the document, and the appeals process had begun. By April, the committee had acted on all of the changes from the appeals process and finalized the document. The 2014 edition of NFPA 58 was set for publication in early September.
PHMSA Seeks Comments On Railcar Safety Proposals
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administra­tion (PHMSA) is seeking public comment to further enhance the safe transportation of hazardous materials by rail tank cars, including the DOT 111 tank car, a type of non-pressure railcar commonly used in North America.
UTSA Research Integral to Eagle Ford Shale Impact
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Ongoing research at the University of Texas at San Antonio’s Institute for Economic Development (UTSA) is serving as the preeminent resource to state and local officials in forecasting the evolving economic impact of the Eagle Ford Shale. Eagle Ford is a 50-mile-wide by 400-mile long formation running from South Texas to the east.
Court to Review Bans On Hydraulic Fracturing
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
New York State Petroleum Council executive director Karen Moreau is welcoming a decision by New York’s Court of Appeals to hear from local landowners and oil and natural gas representatives who stipulate that bans on hydraulic fracturing in Middlefield and Dryden are standing in the way of needed economic investment, reports the American Petro
Excel Industries Partners With Metro Lawn for Conversions
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Excel Industries Inc. said Aug. 30 it had entered into an agreement with Metro Lawn for propane conver­sions of its Hustler turf equipment and BigDog mowers. Metro Lawn, a division of AmeriGas, provides fuel system kits certified by the Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board for Kawasaki engines.
Record-High Corn Production Seen By USDA in 2013
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
U.S. corn growers are expected to produce a record-high 13.8 billion bushels of corn in 2013, according to the August “Crop Production” report issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). The forecast production is up 28% from drought-hit 2012. NASS notes the early planting season this year was not favorable for corn growers, who were hampered by abnormally wet and cold spring weather.
Chicago Students Ride to School in Blue Bird Buses
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Students in Chicago are riding in environmen­tally friendly propane autogas school buses thanks to local school bus contractor Sunrise Transportation. The Blue Bird Corp. Vision buses are providing lower fuel and maintenance costs and reducing the fleet’s carbon footprint. A key hand-over ceremony was held Aug. 28 attended by Chicago officials and representatives of Blue Bird, Central States Bus Sales, the Propane Education & Research Council, AmeriGas, and Chicago Clean Cities.
BLM Fracturing Rule Undermines State Authority
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
The Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) and the Western Energy Alliance (WEA), in comments submitted to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) regarding its second draft of a proposed rule to regulate hydraulic fracturing and well construction on federal lands, are calling the rule unnec­essary and a move to undermine state authority.
A Taste For Acquiring
Thursday, September 12, 2013
When you buy a propane company, you are really buying a book of customers. Those customers don’t see themselves as buying propane just from a company, however. They buy from people, namely employees.
World Autogas Market
Thursday, September 12, 2013
‘Helping the Right People Make the Right Decisions’
TEPPCO Case 6 10
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
FERC Approves Settlement
In Long-Running TEPPCO Case

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has approved a settlement favorable to the propane industry in a long-running TEPPCO rate case. The National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) notes the May 31 judgment caps more than a year of effort to ensure just and reasonable rates on the pipeline, and that through the agreement the industry will enjoy rate certainty for shippers for the two-year duration of the agreement.
Sunoco Exports 6 10
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Energy Transfer Affiliates Move
Forward with Exports-Imports

Sunoco Logistics Partners LP (Philadelphia), an affiliate of Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners LP, has secured long-term, fee-based agreements with Shell Trading (US) Co. (STUSCO, Houston) to proceed with an LPG export/import project. STUSCO has committed to the project, known as Mariner South, as an anchor customer.
Williams Bluegrass 6 10
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Williams, Boardwalk, Form Joint
Venture for Bluegrass Pipeline

Williams (Tulsa) and Boardwalk Pipeline Partners LP (Houston) have formed a joint venture to continue the development of the Bluegrass Pipeline, a project that would transport NGLs from the Marcellus and Utica shale plays to the petrochemical and export complex on the U.S. Gulf Coast, as well as the developing petrochemical market in the Northeast U.S.