IN THIS ISSUE

• Save The Dates - Upcoming Events
• Raffle Prizes & Sponsorship Opportunities
• Fueling Your Own Future: How to Drive Propane Growth in NJ
• Funding Opportunity: 50% Off of New Vehicles for your Fleet
• CETP Propane Safety Classes
• DCA Notice - CETP Training Certification
• NPGA News - Sustainable Energy in America Factbook
• PERC News - Meet PERC in Charlotte at the Southeast Expo
• *DUES NOTICE*
• EDGE Legislative Update
• Propane Days 2024 in Washington, DC
• Don't miss your Opportunity for Promotion!
• Thank you to our Advertisers and Sponsors!



MEET OUR NEW WINTER NEWSLETTER ADVERTISERS!

Click the image to connect and scroll down for our valued sponsors!

Make sure to mark your calendars for NJPGA's upcoming Board of Directors Meeting at Topgolf in Edison, NJ. Following the meeting, we'll enjoy a lively afternoon competing with industry colleagues driving golf balls in both traditional or themed games like Angry Birds.

Join us for an unforgettable time filled with fun, friendly competition and networking!

Topgolf

1013 US-1, Edison, NJ 08817

11:30 AM-1:30 PM – On-Site Board of Directors Meeting

1:30-3:30 PM – TopGolf, Lunch Buffet, A "Hole" Lot of Fun!

Reservation information coming soon!

We look forward to seeing you there!

NEED OVERNIGHT ACCOMMODATION?

Click below... Just minutes from the event venue

Sponsor the April 10th Board Meeting and have your company's name and logo prominently displayed outside one of the reserved bays!

Available @ $600/BAY*

(Complimentary ticket to event included)

While we await the the Webinar...

Want 50% Off New Vehicles for Your Fleet?

This is a golden opportunity to revolutionize your fleet while pursuing substantial funding support. The Department of Energy is currently offering a grant funding solicitation for Clean Transportation Demonstration and Deployment, and propane technology qualifies! With a chance at up to 50% of vehicle costs covered, this is an unparalleled opportunity to apply for funding to transition your fleet to cleaner propane vehicle solutions. However, time is of the essence – a concept paper is due on March 12 and we are looking for interested Propane Marketers with fleet operations in New Jersey to express your interest in a joint application. Don't miss out on this extraordinary opportunity to positively impact your bottom line and advance sustainability in your operations.

Email jpiazza@njpga.org by TOMORROW, March 1st to express your interest in participating and let's collaborate to secure a position in this game-changing funding program.

Propane Safety Training 2024

Register now for the 2024 classes available to you for certification! Classes run April through September with something for everyone!

Basic Principles and Practices (1.0)

Tues & Wed | April 23 & 24, 8:30-4:30 PM

86 Vanderveer Road, Freehold, NJ 07728, Tarantin Industries

Propane Delivery, Combined Delivery (2.2/2.4)

Mon – Wed | May 13, 14 & 15, 8:30-4:30 PM

86 Vanderveer Road, Freehold, NJ 07728, Tarantin Industries

Exterior Vapor Distribution Systems (4.1)

Tues – Thurs | June 4, 5 & 6, 8:30-4:30 PM

180 Centennial Avenue, Piscataway, NJ 08854, F.W. Webb Co.

Placing Vapor Distribution Systems into Operation (4.2)

Mon – Wed | June 24, 25 & 26, 8:30-4:30 PM

86 Vanderveer Road, Freehold, NJ 07728, Tarantin Industries

Installing Appliances & Interior Vapor Distribution (4.3)

Mon – Wed | July 29, 30 & 31, 8:30-4:30 PM

86 Vanderveer Road, Freehold, NJ 07728, Tarantin Industries

Basic Principles and Practices (1.0)

Thurs & Friday | August 22 & 23, 8:30.-4:30 PM

180 Centennial Avenue, Piscataway, NJ 08854, F.W. Webb Co.

Propane Delivery, Combined Delivery (2.2/2.4)

Tues – Thurs | Sept 24, 25 & 26, 8:30-4:30 PM

180 Centennial Avenue, Piscataway, NJ 08854, F.W. Webb Co.

Notice from the Office of Licensing & Continuing Education

New Jersey licensed Master Plumbers and HVACR Contractors are exempt from having to obtain further training for CETP certification.

All other contractors must complete the training as required in the propane service certificate criteria and obtain a certificate to engage in LPG work.

In these cases the applicant must complete Basic Principles & Practices (1.0).

For appliance and interior piping system installation, the following classes are required:

• Basic Principles & Practices (1.0)
• Installing Appliances & Interior Vapor Distribution (4.3)

For container and exterior piping systems installation - installing an entire LPG system from container to the application, the following classes are required:

• Basic Principles & Practices (1.0)
• Exterior Vapor Distribution Systems (4.1)
• Placing Vapor Distribution Systems into Operation (4.2)

Once training is complete, contact the NJDCA licensing website to apply for a propane service certificate. Click the links below for quick access to submit the required information. After review and approval, a certificate number will be issued in order to obtain permits from a local enforcing agency.

Certificate Requirements

https://www.nj.gov/dca/codes/forms/pdf_lpg/propane_requirements.pdf

Certificate Application

https://www.nj.gov/dca/codes/forms/pdf_lpg/propane_service_application.pdf

NJDCA Licensing Website 

https://www.nj.gov/dca/codes/offices/licensing_cont_ed.shtml

If you have any questions about certifications, contact Joseph Imburgia, Construction Official, LP-Gas Safety Unit @ 609-984-4257 or visit https://www.nj.gov/dca/codes/offices/lpgas.shtml

NPGA News

2024 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook



Earlier this week, the 2024 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook was released. The Factbook is produced by the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) and BloombergNEF. It provides an annual update and overview of the U.S. energy sector and describes the important contributions made by various clean energy sources, such as propane and natural gas. The Factbook details market trends, consumer preferences, policy directives, and energy consumption.

The 2024 edition highlights propane-powered combined heat and power (CHP) systems and renewable propane. The Factbook is widely shared with policymakers and regulators at both the state and federal level. It can be viewed here.

For more information, contact NPGA’s Director of State Affairs, Jacob Peterson. 

PERC News

Southeast Expo: Don’t Miss PERC’s Industry Training and Resources Education Session

Registration is open for the 2024 Southeastern Convention & International Propane Expo™. This year’s expo will be held Friday, April 5 - Sunday, April 7 at the Charlotte Convention Center, Charlotte, N.C.

While you’re there, spend some time with PERC's safety and training team on Friday, April 5 at 9 a.m. to learn about improvements and new approaches to industry training and compliance. PERC staff will discuss the accreditation process, modularized content, changes in how programs are delivered, and Learning Center capabilities.

*2023-2024 DUES NOTICE*

Your involvement and support of the NJPGA are valued and essential to ensure the continuation of our safe and competitive propane marketplace. It cannot be stressed enough that our Association is only as strong as our Members’ participation.

We hope you have found that your membership in the NJPGA is a valuable business asset. As always, the NJPGA continues its longstanding commitment to strengthening, promoting, and protecting the interests of the propane industry in New Jersey.

Through our lobbyist, NJPGA monitors all legislative committees and Senate and Assembly Board lists for any bill that could have a negative or positive impact on the propane industry and then acts in the best interest of the industry. This includes supporting and promoting positive legislation and opposing and securing amendments to protect our industry against troublesome legislation, especially regarding the current Electrification and Decarbonization proposals.

The NJPGA would like to thank Members who actively engage and urge Members who monitor Association activities to become active participants in guiding forward the LP Gas industry in New Jersey.

---------------------------------

Dues invoices for 2023-2024 were emailed in November 2023 with a link for online payment or pay by check. If you have not received your invoice, please contact headquarters at 609-890-6094.

Your dues cover July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024. You can update your contact information by clicking this link HERE.

IMPORTANT: In compliance with the Association’s By-Laws, Article VI, Section 2 (c), “Dues shall become due on the first day of January of each year. Any member who is in arrears on April 1 of that year shall have membership services suspended. Members in arrears as of May 1 shall be dropped from membership.”

Those involved in any capacity within the Propane Industry are encouraged to become a member. You can find details of membership HERE.

We must have a collective voice in New Jersey and that voice includes yours!

NPGA LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

by Eric DeGesero, EDGE Consulting

New Legislative Session Opens, Bills To Impact Propane Marketers

On January 9, 2024, the 221^st Session of the NJ Legislature convened. Democrats control the NJ Senate 25-15 and Senator Nick Scutari (D-Union) will begin his second term as the Senate President. The General Assembly is also controlled by the Democrats by a 52-28 margin and Assemblyman Craig Coughlin (D-Middlesex) will begin his fourth term as the Speaker of the General Assembly.

For propane marketers the single biggest issue in this legislative session is the same one that has dominated the last few legislative sessions, Governor Phil Murphy’s (D) desire to “electrify everything.”

In his 2019 Energy Master Plan, the Governor stated, “The building sector should be decarbonized and largely electrified by 2050 with an early focus on new construction and the conversion of electric baseboard heating and oil- and propane-fueled buildings.”

The EMP is not a legally binding document, rather it serves as the blueprint for the Governor’s energy priorities. However, Governors take the latitude of implementing as much as of their desired policy as they can using any existing authority they have.

For example, last year legislation was proposed to establish an incentive program for the installation of electric heat pumps and electric induction stoves. The legislation did not give incumbent fuels the opportunity to discuss their pathways to decarbonization, such as renewable propane or hybrid propane/heat pump furnaces. NJPGA led the fight against the bill which ultimately was not passed, but the Governor went ahead and implemented the program anyway.

As of late 2023, the NJ Board of Public Utilities was going to spend much of 2024 working on how to implement the incentive program, using funds from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2021, and primarily focused on low- and moderate-income households.

As the legislative session opened there were a few bills introduced that are part of the Governor’s agenda. Below is a brief synopsis. Please stay alert for updates from NJPGA as to what you may be asked to do to engage for the good of the industry.

Senate Bill 2425 (McKeon/Smith) Establishes a Low Carbon Transportation Standard. The bill requires that all transportation fuels reduce their carbon intensity by 2030 by 10% from the 2019 baseline for that transportation fuel. Transportation fuel suppliers can meet this by either using lower carbon fuels or purchasing credits from those who do. The bill is currently drafted to allow some off-road applications to generate opt-in credits, but space heating is not one of hose credit generators. NJPGA is working to see that is included.

Assembly Bill 3354 (Stanley/Quijano) Establishes a clean heat standard. Requires heating fuel suppliers, including propane suppliers, to purchase and retire clean heat credits or pay a fee. Credits can be generated by installing heat pumps, increasing the efficiency of a building, providing sustainably sourced biofuels or sustainably generated hydrogen.

Senate Bill 2556 (Smith/McKeon) – Requires all new construction to be built with a smart thermostat installed. 

Propane Days 2024

June 2nd through the 4th - Washington, DC

As the propane industry faces many legislative and regulatory challenges, the National PGA looks forward to hosting association members to meet with Federal legislators to discuss the most pressing issues impacting the propane industry. The advocacy day includes a legislative breakfast, a briefing on the NPGA's top priorities and best practices for Congressional meetings, in-person meetings on Capitol Hill, and a Congressional Reception.

Meetings with legislators are scheduled 30 days in advance, so let us know soon if you are planning on participating!

Registration and hotel details are to follow.

Contact NJPGA with a YES! @ jpiazza@njpga.org

NJPGA | 609-890-6094 | jpiazza@njpga.org | www.njpga.org

STAY CONNECTED