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Executive Directors Message
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SITE REMEDIATION ENFORCEMENT AND PENALTIES
MARKETPLACE UPDATE
TOBACCO COUPONS AND REBATES
NJGCA YOUNG PROFESSIONALS MEETING
NJGCA MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
SITE REMEDIATION
We are seeing an increase in the number of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) enforcement actions / penalties imposed on property owners who fail to meet regulatory timeframes. It is important that you are aware that failure to meet a regulatory deadline (such as for a Receptor Evaluation, Remedial Investigation, or Remedial Action) will result in the NJDEP automatically placing your case in "direct oversight." Direct oversight also comes with yearly invoices because "deadlines" for site remediation were not met. What direct oversight means is that the property will be subject to additional requirements and potential substantial fines (we have seen some members be fined upwards of $50k). However, NJDEP will sometimes work with responsible parties by granting an extension when the request is justified. If you have an active NJDEP case, please pay attention to your timeframes, and if you are unsure about whether or not you will meet a timeframe, you should work with your environmental consultant to request an extension and begin work. For a list of all the enforceable violations and their respective penalties, see the table on pages 101 - 143 on the Administrative Requirements for the Remediation of Contaminated Sites. Please call the office if you have questions about your case and need advice. We work with a number of environmental consultants that meet our standard of confidence. I would like to thank Daniela Pava at Environmental Alliance for bringing this to my attention.
MARKETPLACE UPDATE
I have refrained from discussing the marketplace for several months, even though we have gone through a full cycle of prices rising sharply and now declining sharply. My usually reliable crystal ball, which is really my gut instinct combined with supply and demand in real time, has not been functioning as well as it used to. Many of the previously applied principles that I used to determine what would be ahead for you simply did not seem to be playing out. As a result, I was reluctant to give you my view of what lies ahead for you. Although I privately thought and shared with the staff that I was confident gas prices would decline, I began to get nervous when they did not decline as sharply at the beginning of May. I still feel that the speculators who trade gasoline as a commodity continue to think that because the driving season results in more travel and more gasoline consumption that they continue to over-bet their speculation in the early part of the year. And although I believed that they over-bet again this year, I am surprised it took until June to see the prices decline. Back in the 80's and 90's, there was no way prices would decline in June. In fact, they would begin rising in April and continue rising through August. That has not been the pattern since 2008. I am relatively confident that you will see further declines in the next few weeks, and unless there is any major hurricane that hits the gulf coast over the summer, you won't see prices rise again until the fall.
TOBACCO COUPONS
The anti-smokers are back at it in Trenton, and the Assembly Health Committee passed a bill that will outlaw the use of coupons and rebates in your stores for the sale of tobacco products. Many customers have relied on these coupons to offset the high cost of cigarettes. If this legislation makes its way through the entire Legislature, I'm sure Governor Murphy will sign it, I'll keep you updated as it progresses. Although we officially opposed this legislation with the committee, along with other like-minded trade associations, and the tobacco industry, I am not confident that we will be able to stop it.
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
NJGCA's Young Professionals will be meeting again on July 11th from 6 to 8 PM at the Asbury Park Biergarten. I want to remind our members again that if you have young motivated people working in your shops and/or stations, or anticipate handing your business over to the next generation down the line, we hope they will be able to attend our event. This is an excellent opportunity to network with other people with similar interests and for us to learn what new ideas, technologies, and opportunities are coming down the line which could potentially further our businesses and the industry. If you know of someone who might be interested in attending, please send them our registration page to sign up! For any of our MBPs that would be interested in sponsoring, please email either Michelle or Eric at michelle@njgca.org or eric@njgca.org for more information.
MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
You all should have read in our April 2019 OTR and received emails about our membership drive. Please consider colleagues and competitors that you have a relationship with, and ask them to consider joining our cause here at NJGCA. After you speak to them, give us a call and let us know that you have spoken to them, and we will take it from there. The member with the most referrals that result in membership will win a $250 Visa gift card!
That's all for this week-
Sal Risalvato
Executive Director
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Training Class Schedule
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All classes held at NJGCA HQ -- 4900 Route 33 West, Wall Township, NJ 07753
Want to become an emission repair technician/facility?
Entire Emission Technician Education Program (ETEP) Training Classes
Sections 1-7
2 PM to 10 PM
May 1, 8, 15, 22
June 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 26
Sections 8, 9, 10 (RECERTIFICATION)
2 PM to 10 PM
May 1, 8, 15, 22
Stop turning away work!
The New Jersey Inspection Program requires vehicles that fail emissions inspection to go to a Licensed Certified Emission Repair Facility and have a Licensed Emission Repair Technician perform the repairs! When the new Emissions Inspection program begins, a list of Certified Emission Repair Facilities will be given to the vehicle owners who fail the New Jersey Emission Inspection. If you want your business name on the list - make sure you have a Certified Licensed Emission Repair Technician and you are licensed as a Emission Repair Facility! Those signing up for the FULL training course will attend sections 1-10. Full ETEP class fees for members are $2,195 and non-members are $2,395. Recertification fees for members are $729 and non-members are $879. Note for Spring 2019 classes: Recertification dates will be held FIRST, with sections 1 to 7 to follow.
Click here for FULL ETEP REGISTRATION FORM
Click here for ETEP RECERTIFICATION FORM
FUTURE CLASSES WILL BE ADDED UPON REQUEST AND ACCORDING TO DEMAND. CONTACT DEBBIE at 732-256-9646 or DEBBIE@NJGCA.ORG TO LET HER KNOW YOU ARE INTERESTED IN TAKING A SPECIFIC CLASS. THIS WILL ALLOW US TO GAUGE YOUR NEEDS AND KEEP TRACK OF THOSE WISHING TO PARTICIPATE! |
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News Around The State
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6/11/19
Texas Raises Smoking Age to 21
Texas will become the 15th state on September 1 to raise the minimum age to purchase all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, from 18 to 21, according to UPI. The governor signed the legislation late last week. Anyone violating the new law will face a Class C misdemeanor and a fine of up to $500. However, people in the military, who are age 18 to 20, will still be able to legally buy tobacco products.
6/10/19
Gasoline Prices Set to Plunge at the Pump
Gasoline prices have been sliding steadily for several weeks, and they're promising to get even cheaper as crude prices fall and the U.S. moves into the summer driving season. Near Houston, in areas surrounded by refineries, the price is about $2 a gallon, according to data from GasBuddy.com. Last year at this time, the average price nationally for regular gas at the pump was $2.92 a gallon, according to AAA. Now, following an 18% drop in crude oil prices in New York, the average sits at $2.75 at a time of year -- Spring time -- when the price usually peaks in anticipation of more drivers on the road.
6/10/19
Natural Gas Is Helping Combat Climate Change - But Not Enough
Natural gas, which is becoming the world's dominant energy, emits half as much carbon dioxide as coal. That's why it's emerging as a good-enough-for-now solution to climate change. But since it's a fossil fuel, it still produces heat-trapping emissions. . .the reality is, natural gas is providing a cheap, plentiful, cleaner-burning option for countries to get off the world's dirtiest - and historically dominant - power source: coal.
6/6/19
The Car Industry Is Under Siege
The internal combustion engine is under attack from electric challengers. Car ownership is becoming optional in the age of Uber. Regulators around the world are fining companies that don't do enough to cut carbon dioxide emissions, even as buyers demand gas-guzzling S.U.V.s. Global auto sales are slipping for the first time in a decade, disrupted by President Trump's escalating trade war. . .The internal combustion engine is under attack from electric challengers. Car ownership is becoming optional in the age of Uber. Regulators around the world are fining companies that don't do enough to cut carbon dioxide emissions, even as buyers demand gas-guzzling S.U.V.s. Global auto sales are slipping for the first time in a decade, disrupted by President Trump's escalating trade war.
6/6/19
Automakers Tell Trump His Pollution Rules Could Mean 'Untenable' Instability and Lower Profits
The world's largest automakers warned President Trump on Thursday that one of his most sweeping deregulatory efforts - his plan to weaken tailpipe pollution standards - threatens to cut their profits and produce "untenable" instability in a crucial manufacturing sector. In a letter signed by 17 companies including Ford, General Motors, Toyota and Volvo, the automakers asked Mr. Trump to go back to the negotiating table on the planned rollback of one of President Barack Obama's signature policies to fight climate change.
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Energy Information Agency Weekly Retail Gasoline Prices
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Each week, the Energy Information Administration publishes a list of average gasoline prices for the previous three weeks. NJGCA will begin including this list with the Weekly Road Warrior. Remember, these prices are reflective of self-serve everywhere except NJ.
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Classifieds: For Sale and Help Wanted Ads
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NEW!
FOR SALE:
Business For Sale: Monmouth County gas station and repair shop in business since 2001 is for sale. Owner is relocating out of state and is interested in selling business and equipment. Owner is open to limited financing. Business has a strong 10 year lease. The building has two repair bays and the gas pumps are leased to a large independent tenant. Repair shop business currently employs a Manager and two full-time Technicians. For inquiries and more info, please call Mark at 908-670-7798.
New! Parts For Sale: Incon TS-1000 tank monitor works well just taken out of service. Printer is aprox 2 months old. Also, Incon 8, tank probes. System replaced because on an Exxon upgrade. Call John Twin Towers Exxon (201) 224-8444
 
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