The home heating oil industry has a long and proud history, and Fuel Oil News has been there supporting it since 1935. It is an industry that has faced many challenges during that time. In its 77th year, Fuel Oil News is doing more than just holding
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22 MAY 2016 | FUEL OIL NEWS | www.fueloilnews.com and gasoline are taxed equivalently," Ory said. "That was a terrific win." Another high point: "We were able to shepherd through a fifty-cent-a-gallon rebate for tax year 2015," Ory said. (The rebate will be reduced in tax year 2016 in line with the reduced taxes). Along with the fifty-cent-per-gallon rebate, Ory said, "We also got the infrastructure tax credit," which he said would help NPGA members expand the motor fuel business. T h e Fe d e r a l E n e r g y Re g u l a t o r y Commission responded favorably to the association's lobbying on indexing for pipelines, which sets rates for the next five years. "We were very, very thankful" that FERC sided with our position," Ory said, "so we have a lower index fee." The lower fee will probably save the asso- ciation's members "somewhere in the neighborhood of $190 million to $240 million dollars a year for the next five years, depending on how much propane flows through the pipeline," Ory said. Eighteen months ago, in the fall of 2014, the national association made a change in its tactical approach. "We put in a team, headed by Lesley Garland, on state engagement," Ory said. Garland, the former president and CEO of the Western Propane Gas Association, was hired as the national asso- ciation's director of state affairs, responsible for identifying state legislative and regula- tory issues and developing responses. "We recognize that a lot of the legislative activ- ity is now taking place at the state level," Ory said, "and we're trying as best we can t o m o n i t o r legislation in all fifty states." As a follow-up, Ory said, "We have set aside a $500,000 kitty to aid states in fighting natural gas expansion. "Basically, we're against u n e c o n o m i c e x p a n s i o n w h ere e i t h er the ratepayer o r t h e t a x - payer is being asked to sub- sidize capital expenditure," Ory said, cit- ing efforts by n a t u r a l g a s companies to do just that in Illinois, Michigan and New York. "It shouldn't be done especially in light of a Department of Energy estimate that "$270 billion worth of repair work is needed on the existing natural gas infrastructure." That figure was published in April 2015 by the DOE in "Transforming U.S. Energy Infrastructures in a Time of Rapid Change," the first installment of its Quadrennial Energy Review of Transmission, Storage and Distribution Infrastructure. l F O N • Can use for heating oil, diesel and bio els, motor oil, ATF and DEF • Outer tank holds 110 percent of inner tank for maximum protection • Up to 50 percent lighter than conventional steel tanks • Easy to install • Compact design • Exceeds industry standards • UL2258 Certified • Low-cost • 30-year warranty/$2 million policy • Leak-proof and will not corrode For all your home heating oil storage needs. DOUBLE-WALL CONTAINMENT Heating Oil Storage Tanks www.HeatingOilStorageTanks.com 1.888.266.7684 THE LOWER FEE WILL PROBABLY SAVE THE ASSOCIATION'S MEMBERS "SOMEWHERE IN THE NEIGHBOR- HOOD OF $190 MILLION TO $240 MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS..."