Northeast-Mid-Atlantic Oil/Propane Safety & Compliance Working Group Forms
Wednesday, August 5, 2020
A group of retailer energy marketer safety and compliance professionals on July 29 announced formation of a “working group” that will act as a forum for safety and compliance discussions. It is set to begin this month and continue on a periodic basis.

This culminated following informal discussions over the past few months and was set into place on July 29 when the group held an “exploratory call” to discuss whether such an informal group would organize further.
Service Technician Talks Propane Forklift Safety in New PERC Video
Wednesday, August 5, 2020
The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) has released a new forklift safety video, adding to its existing collection of online safety resources. The video features safety tips narrated by a propane service technician.

The two-minute video demonstrates propane forklift safety tips for the refueling process. The service technician outlines important topics including proper protective gear, how to inspect tanks for exterior damage, how to put a cylinder on a forklift, how to secure the tank, and more.
Rig Count Holds Steady
Wednesday, August 5, 2020
On its July 31 recap, the Baker Hughes rig count was unchanged from the prior week’s count of 251 rigs. During the week, oil rigs were down one to 180 units, gas rigs added one to 69, and miscellaneous rigs were unchanged at two.

Compared to last year, the U.S. Rig Count is down 691 rigs from 942, with oil rigs down 590, gas rigs 102 less, and miscellaneous rigs up one to total two rigs.
The U.S. Offshore Rig Count is unchanged at 12 and down 10 year-over-year.
Charlie Summers to Lead Brunswick-based MEMA and MTEC
Wednesday, August 5, 2020
The Maine Energy Marketers Association (MEMA) has appointed Charles Summers Jr. as its next president to lead MEMA and its MTEC Education Center in providing its more than 300 fueloil, propane, biofuels, and motor fuels members with an enhanced level of service and support.
RRC Production Statistics for May
Wednesday, August 5, 2020
Crude oil and natural gas production as reported to the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) for May 2020 came from 170,718 oil wells and 86,469 gas wells.
RRC reports that from June 2019 to May 2020, total Texas reported production was 1.5 Bbbl of crude oil and 10.4 Tcf of total gas. Crude oil production reported by the RRC is limited to oil produced from oil leases and does not include condensate, which RRC reports separately.

 

Superior Plus Acquires Champagne’s Energy
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
Superior Plus Corp. (Toronto) has entered into an asset agreement to acquire a retail propane distribution company, operating under the tradename, Champagne’s Energy.
Founded in 1981, Champagne is an established independent retail propane distributor delivering approximately 11 million gallons of propane and distillates annually to retail and commercial customers in Maine.
Little Change In Outlook For Canadian Oil Sands
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
IHS Markit’s 10-year forecast expects oil sands production to be nearly 3.8 MMbbld in 2030, compared to a 3.9 MMbbld projection pre-pandemic. Production is expected to post the largest annual decline on record, nearly 175,000 bbld in 2020, due to COVID-19. The longer-term trajectory of oil sands production is expected to change little compared to pre-pandemic projections, according to a new 10-year forecast by IHS Markit, a world leader in critical information, analytics, and solutions.
School Buses to be Replaced Under Clean Diesel Program Grant
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
An alliance of four school districts in Michigan has been awarded $450,000 to replace diesel buses that are at least 12 years old with new propane- and diesel-powered vehicles.
Hamilton Community Schools led the consortium that was the successful applicant from among 20 candidates for grants under the federal Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA). Funding is allocated through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Diesel Program, which is administered by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).
Palmer Gas & Oil Voted Business of the Decade
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
Palmer Gas & Oil (PGO; Atkinson, N.H.), a provider of fuel delivery and service programs, has been named Business of the Decade by Business NH Magazine. The company was recognized for its achievements in the Retail/Wholesale category.
U.S. Rig Count Slumps While Canada’s Rises
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
Baker Hughes’ U.S. rig count shows that weakness continues in the U.S. Over the last week, the count has fallen by two for a total of 251 rigs. The number of oil rigs increased by one to 181, gas rigs were down three to 68, and miscellaneous rigs were unchanged at two.

Compared to last year, the count is down 695 rigs from a year earlier’s total of 946 rigs. Oil rigs are down 595, gas rigs down 101, and miscellaneous rigs up one to a total of two.The U.S. offshore rig count is unchanged at 12 and is 13 less year over year.
National Clean Energy Week to Highlight Clean Energy Solutions
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
The events at this year’s National Clean Energy Week (NCEW), scheduled for September 21-25, will focus on the strength of the clean energy sector and its contributions to building a stronger America. NCEW, founded in 2017, features a variety of programming including the Policy Makers Symposium, a unique bipartisan event—that goes virtual this year and expands to a week-long—to celebrate the latest in clean energy policy, technologies, and collaborative opportunities for innovators, investors, advocates, and policy makers.
Canadian Propane and Butane Inventories Climbed in June
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
Canada’s primary underground propane inventories rose 38.2% in June to begin July at 1465.4 Mcm, the equivalent of 9.2 MMbbl, according to the Canada Energy Regulator (CER). The total represented a significant month-to-month gain of 405.1 Mcm. Compared to a year earlier, stocks were up an impressive 647.4 Mcm, or 79.1%.
ThompsonGas Acquires Redwood Coast Fuels Propane Operations
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
ThompsonGas (Frederick, Md.) has acquired the propane operations of Redwood Coast Fuels (Ukiah, Calif.), a leading propane provider in the northwestern part of the state. The company is pleased to welcome Redwood Coast Fuels customers to the ThompsonGas family and is committed to serving the residential, commercial, and wholesale customers who have valued Redwood Coast Fuels propane’s presence and service in the area for many years.
U.S. Petroleum Demand Rebound Continues
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
The broad recovery of U.S. petroleum markets continued in June with U.S. petroleum demand increasing nearly 9% to 17.6 MMbbld, according to data released July 16 in the American Petroleum Institute’s June 2020 Monthly Statistical Report (MSR).
Crude Oil, Natural Gas Production Decrease Largest in Years
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
U.S. crude oil and natural gas production declined in April 2020 by 670,000 bbld and 2.6 Bcfd, respectively, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Monthly Crude Oil and Natural Gas Production Report. Production contractions of that size usually happen only in natural disasters such as hurricanes: the drop in U.S. crude oil production in April was the largest since September 2008 when Hurricanes Gustav and Ike caused production to tumble by 1.03 MMbbld.
Safety Programs Added to Online Propane Learning Center
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) has added two more safety courses to its lineup on The Learning Center at propane.com. The latest program additions to the online learning platform are:

Bobtail Rollover Prevention, a video training program to help bobtail drivers understand the factors that contribute to a vehicle rollover. It also offers guidelines and tips that can be applied to minimize risk of a rollover.
Pennsylvania Awards Grants For Cleaner Fuel Vehicle Projects
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration on July 20 awarded more than $2.1 million in 2019 Alternative Fuel Incentive Grants (AFIGs) to 18 cleaner-fuel vehicle projects in Pennsylvania to help improve air quality and public health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to address climate change.
HGL Spot Prices Are Usually Bound By Crude Oil and Natural Gas
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
The combination of rapidly falling crude prices in March 2020 and relatively flat, and historically low, natural gas prices squeezed hydrocarbon gas liquids (HGL) spot prices into a narrow price band from mid-March through the end of April 2020, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports in its Today in Energy. This relatively narrow band has since widened as crude oil prices have increased and natural gas prices have remained low.
AHRI Releases May Heating and Cooling Equipment Shipment Data
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
The Air-Conditioning, Heating, & Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) has released its May 2020 U.S. heating and cooling equipment shipment data.

U.S. shipments of residential gas storage water heaters for May 2020 decreased 7.1%, to 332,297 units, down from 357,513 units shipped in May 2019. Residential electric storage water heater shipments decreased 6.1% in May 2020 to 322,303 units, down from 343,390 units shipped in May 2019.
Mid-Month to Mid-Month: Are Prices Without Direction?
Thursday, July 16, 2020
Are prices lacking direction, or are they trying to acclimate to “new normal” of a world amid COVID-19? Looking to EIA for some answers, its latest July Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) analysis has not budged over the past month.
Enterprise’s Industry First at Houston Ship Channel
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
Enterprise Products Partners LP (Houston) revealed on July 14 it had successfully loaded combination cargoes of NGLs and olefins on the same vessel. During July, Enterprise completed the simultaneous loading of propane and polymer grade propylene into separate compartments on a VLGC at the Enterprise Houston Ship Channel terminal, as well as the simultaneous loading of ethane and ethylene on a vessel at its Morgan’s Point facility. Both vessels were the first export cargoes of their kind from the U.S.
Propane HomePro Website Wins National Design Award
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
The Propane HomePro website was recognized nationally in the 20th annual American Web Design Awards, sponsored by Graphic Design USA. More than 2000 entries were submitted in the national web design competition and only an elite top 10% were selected as winners.