Author Archives: Stephen Bennett

ATRI Researches Marijuana Legalization

The American Transportation Research Institute released a new report that assesses the impacts of marijuana legalization on the trucking industry. The analysis, which was a 2022 top priority of ATRI’s Research Advisory Committee (RAC), covers several critical topics related to state-level marijuana legalization, including: a review of the latest demographic trends in marijuana legalization; an overview of research and data related ...

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NEFI: EPA Proposes Changes to Energy Star

The EPA issued a proposal to limit the Energy Star certification to heat pumps exclusively, potentially excluding furnaces and boilers from the program, reported the National Energy & Fuels Institute. Central air conditioners would also be affected. The proposal is “part of the administration’s broader plan to discourage continued use of liquid fuel and gas appliances and push consumers towards ...

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Find Your Ideal Profit Level in 9 Minutes or Less

Now that the winter is behind us, dealers are reflecting on how things went financially and how to shift gears for the remainder of the year to get back on track with their annual profit targets. If you were like most full-service dealers, you experienced a mix of ups and downs over the course of this past winter. For the ...

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Biofine Signs Lease for Refinery Site

The Lincoln Town Council voted to approve a 20-plus-year lease between the town of Lincoln, Maine, and Biofine Developments Northeast (BDNE) for the development of a biofuels refinery on the site of the former Lincoln Pulp & Tissue Mill, now known as the Lincoln Technology Park. Construction of the project is expected to commence by July of 2024. The Biofine ...

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NEFI Responds to Massachusetts CHS

The National Energy & Fuels Institute submitted comments to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection on its proposed Clean Heat Standard (CHS). (Click here to read full text.)“The most troubling item in the Massachusetts CHS is that heating fuel dealers will be required to convert a minimum of 3 percent of their homes to electric heat each year,” NEFI said in ...

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Crushing the American Dream

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness are, as the Declaration of Independence states, certain unalienable rights. The business world, and the delivered fuels industry (heating oil and propane) in particular, has enabled many people to pursue their dreams and create happiness for their families, employees and customers. The fuel industry has some great history. In 1933 Leon Hess, age ...

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Reit Energy Acquires Walter A. Dwyer

Reit Energy of Warminster, Pa., acquired assets related to the delivered fuels, HVAC, and plumbing business of Walter A. Dwyer, Inc., of Ambler, Pa., Cetane Associates announced. With beginnings dating back to 1875, merely ten years after the U.S. Civil War, Dwyer has a lengthy history that includes selling building materials, coal, oil, heating services, boilers, and plumbing. Its founder, ...

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New York Has A Propane Container Law

The New York Propane Gas Association (nypropane.com) announced recently that the state now has a propane tank “container law” on the books, reports Shane Sweet: For those who have not followed this process, NYPGA has been pursuing the passage of a container law for the better part of 10 years. Lawmakers in New York twice passed container law legislation, twice ...

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Simpson Launches Notch Capital to Support Business Growth, Provide Recapitalizations

Heating and cooling industry finance veteran Jeffrey Simpson announced the formation of private investment firm Notch Capital, LLC to partner with founder and family-owned fuel distribution, HVAC and home services companies. The firm will invest private capital for majority business purchases and equity recapitalizations. Notch Capital will structure acquisition transactions to permit owners to sell their stake in its entirety ...

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Palmer Gas & Oil Launches New Training Facility

Palmer Gas & Oil launched its new technical training lab with the goal of fostering innovation, promoting hands-on learning, and advancing the technical skills of its staff. Designed and developed by technical trainer Terry Rickards, and managed by industry veteran Don Lamprey, the lab is designed to provide real-world HVAC training in a comfortable and familiar environment. Says Peter Iacobucci, ...

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