NFIB: Health Insurance Tax To Cost Private-Sector Jobs
Monday, June 2, 2014
The National Federation of Independent Business’s (NFIB) Research Foundation has released an updated study showing the significant number of jobs that will be lost by the Health Insurance Tax (HIT) has a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The study is available at nfib.com/hitcost.
New Conversion Kits Offered For Commercial Lawn Mowers
Monday, June 2, 2014
Landscape professionals have another option for converting commercial mowers to clean, American-made propane with new Environmental Protection Agency-certified conversion kits by Hendrix Progressive Fuel Technologies (Wauconda, Ill.) The EPA certification also qualifies the kit for a $500 incentive through the Propane Education & Research Council’s (PERC) Propane Mower Incentive Program.
Household Heating Expenditures Expected to Rise 54% Over Winter
Monday, June 2, 2014
Average expenditures for U.S. households heating primarily with propane, located mainly in the Midwest and Northeast, are expected to be 54% higher for the most recent winter compared to the previous heating season, reports the Energy Information Administration (EIA). At the same time, expenditures for homes using fueloil are forecast to be 7% higher; natural gas 10% higher; and electricity 5% higher.
Hess Completes Expansion Of Tioga, N.D. Gas Plant
Monday, June 2, 2014
Hess Corp. (New York, N.Y.) has completed the expansion of its Tioga Gas Plant in North Dakota, which more than doubles the operational capacity of the facility. The project was part of a more than $1.5-billion infrastructure investment made by Hess between 2012 and 2014 in the Peace Garden State that has significantly increased production of propane, butane, natural gasoline, ethane, and methane.
Governor’s Order Shields Parks From Surface Disturbance
Monday, June 2, 2014
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett has issued an executive order prohibiting leasing for natural gas development in state parks and forests that would result in additional long-term surface disturbance. The order allows natural gas to be extracted from deep beneath the surface only when there will be no additional long-term disturbances on state forest and park lands.
Conway Spots Dip, Belvieu Little Changed
Monday, June 2, 2014
Spot propane at Conway dipped a penny Thursday compared to the Friday, May 23 email Update, while Mont Belvieu trading in non-LST product had scratched out a meager quarter-cent gain. LST had not moved. Early-week activity saw propane at both hubs trading higher coming off the long Memorial Day weekend, with deals getting done at Conway in the 103.50-104.00 cents/gal. range and Belvieu at 105.75-106.625 cents/gal.
EPA Proposing Stricter Air Standards for Refineries
Monday, June 2, 2014
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to update toxic air-pollution standards for petroleum refineries “to protect neighborhoods located near refineries.” The agency’s “common-sense” proposal would further reduce flaring and other processes and includes new monitoring requirements. EPA comments that exposure to toxic air pollutants such as benzene can cause respiratory problems and other serious health issues.
Enterprise Begins Exports From Beaumont Terminal
Monday, June 2, 2014
Enterprise Products Partners LP (Houston) has begun exports of refined products from its reactivated marine terminal in Beaumont, Texas. Located on the Neches River, the terminal can load at rates up to 15,000 bbl/hr. The facility includes a dock with a 40-ft draft that can accommodate Panamax-size vessels that have a capacity of up to 400,000 bbl.
COMMENTARY Postings Edge Higher
Monday, June 2, 2014
Principal postings Thursday edged higher compared to the Friday, May 23 email update, gaining as little as a quarter cent but as much as 1.5 cents. A few sellers held their early-week prices, most significantly in the Midwest.

Postings on the Dixie Pipeline at Apex, N.C. were up that same 0.25 to 1.5 cents, although a single wholesaler held firm. Prices were from 113.70 to 116.50 cents/gal. At Conway, Kan., one posting rose a half cent, while no others moved, and prices were from 106.00 to 107.07 cents.
Canadian Infrastructure Projects Gain First-Mover Advantage
Monday, June 2, 2014
While the U.S. procrastinates, Canada is taking concrete action to ensure its ability to increase crude exports into both the Atlantic and Pacific basins with the development of new pipelines, says an analyst with the research and consulting firm GlobalData. According to Carmine Rositano, GlobalData’s managing analyst covering downstream oil and gas, Canada is developing infrastructure, including the proposed East Energy Access Pipeline project, on both its west and east coasts.
U.S. Propane Inventories Unchanged for Week
Monday, March 17, 2014
U.S. propane stocks as of the week ended Feb. 21 were unchanged from the previous week, with overall inventories standing at 26.7 MMbbl, 21.2 MMbbl, or 44.3%, lower than the comparable period a year ago, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) in its Feb. 26 “This Week in Petroleum” report. Volumes in the Gulf Coast and Rocky Mountain/West Coast region both fell by 0.1 MMbbl, while Midwest and East Coast supplies each rose by 0.1 MMbbl.
Propane Imports Jump, Exports Edge Up
Monday, March 17, 2014
While propane exports from U.S. shores barely rose during December compared to a month earlier, imports jumped a significant 60.1%, with an additional 2,128,401 bbl arriving compared to November, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), which pegged December levels at 5,671,308 bbl. For the year, imports showed a more modest 8.1% increase, stepping up by 426,240 bbl.
RRC Commissioner Porter Meets Mexican Energy Officials
Monday, March 17, 2014
Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) commissioner David Porter traveled to Mexico in early February to meet with officials and discuss energy policy as the country works to reform regulations governing the oil and gas industry. In December, the Mexican Congress passed a constitutional amendment that would open the oil and gas sector to private participation for the first time in 75 years. Officials are now in the process of formulating the statutory and regulatory framework to support the change.
New York Landowners Sue For SGEIS Release Date
Monday, March 17, 2014
The Joint Landowners Coalition of New York (JLCNY) has filed a lawsuit against the State of New York seeking to compel the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to identify a date when a final supplemental generic environmental impact statement (SGEIS) will be released and permit applications for hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling will be processed.
North American Production Continues to Accelerate
Monday, March 17, 2014
ICF International (Fairfax, Va.), in its first-quarter “2014 Detailed Production Report,” notes that production in liquids-rich natural gas plays is expected to continue to grow, and will likely double by 2035. ICF adds that liquids-rich plays have fared much better than dry-gas plays in the relatively low-gas-price environment that has persisted throughout much of 2013. Consequently, U.S. NGL production has increased by more than 600,000 bbld over the past five years.
Price Floor Collapses at Trading Hubs
Monday, March 17, 2014
Spot propane at both Mont Belvieu and Conway, Kan. crashed Thursday, with mid-morning trading showing Belvieu spots losing 17 to 17.25 over the week and the Group 140 (Conway) market giving up 19.5 cents. The late-week losses followed Mont Belvieu dropping 7.5 cents Monday and the Group shedding 4.25 cents. The reversals came despite sustained frigid temperatures in the Upper Midwest and Northeast, although the needle indicating U.S. propane inventories didn’t budge the week ended Feb. 21, with volumes standing firm at 26.7 MMbbl from to a week earlier.
Europe Moves Closer to Commercial Shale Production
Monday, March 17, 2014
It has been 10 years since there were more conventional than unconventional wells being drilled annually in the U.S., but hydraulic fracturing has yet to make an impact elsewhere in the world, where operators continue to face environmental worries and logistical challenges, say analysts with the research and consulting firm GlobalData.
Propane Engine Fuel Summit To Feature Industry OEMs
Monday, March 17, 2014
The 2014 Propane Engine Fuel Summit in Irving, Texas March 27 will bring together one of the nation’s largest gatherings of original equipment manufacturers of propane autogas technology. The panel will discuss the future of the alternative fuel and corporate plans for propane autogas vehicles.
RRC Commissioner Calls for Public Education on Energy
Monday, March 17, 2014
Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) commissioner Christi Craddick, speaking at the winter North American Prospect Expo (NAPE) meeting in Houston Feb. 5, encouraged those attending to proactively work together to educate the public about the importance of the current shale energy revolution. NAPE attracts 16,000 investors from the energy exploration and production sectors from across the globe.
Crystal Flash Acquires Owens Petroleum, Propane
Monday, March 17, 2014
Crystal Flash (Grand Rapids, Mich.) has acquired Owens Petroleum Inc. and Owens Propane Service Inc. of Albion, Mich. The transaction will add two new locations, including two Pacific Pride fuel stations, to the Crystal Flash energy distribution company. Joe Owens launched the business as a Standard Oil agent in 1968, later incorporating to become Owens-Raymond Oil Co. He changed the name to Owens Petroleum in the 1980s, and ran the company until he sold it to his daughter, Shelley Purucker, and her husband, Randy, in 1994.
COMMENTARY: Down, Down, Down
Monday, March 17, 2014
More precipitous declines were seen for principal postings Thursday, which doubled down on the double-digit freefalls of early in the week to give up another 17 to as much as 42 cents compared to the Monday email Update. The deep discounts prompted all but one seller to resume providing postings for publication, however, Plains Marketing’s U.S. prices were still not available (NA).
Blossman Offering Certified Mowing Conversion Kits
Monday, March 17, 2014
Blossman Services Inc.’s (BSI; Ocean Springs, Miss.) small engine division is designing and manufacturing an engine-specific propane mower conversion kit that will meet Environmental Protection Agency certification standards. Available for purchase this spring, the Blossman conversion kit is aimed at providing cost savings and a high-quality conversion kit to landscape contractors and the mowing industry.