www.fueloilnews.com | FUEL OIL NEWS | SEPTEMBER 2014 23
Fuels
capacity of 88 million gallons, said Joe
Rose, president and chief executive officer
of the Propane Gas Association of New
England. The caverns were used to store
propane before, Rose said. "We're push-
ing the New York governor hard," Rose
said, referring to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The U.S. is producing ample pro-
pane supply, but more is being shipped
overseas than ever before, according
to PERC. In 2013, more than 20% of
U.S. propane production was exported,
up from 5% in 2008, according to the
Council. Increased exports have made a
large portion of these stockpiles unavail-
able for domestic used.
During the summer President Barack
Obama signed into law S. 2086, the
Reliable Home Heating Act. The bill
clarifies that the Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Administration must accept
hours-of-service extensions during
emergencies declared by a governor for
up to two additional 30-day periods (for
a total of three).
Richard Roldan, president and CEO
of the National Propane Gas Association
said, "This bill will benefit the millions
of households that rely on propane for
home heating. Providing two additional
hours-of-service extensions gives pro-
pane delivery drivers the flexibility they
need to safely transport the fuel to the
customers who need it most."
The new law also provides an
early warning mechanism to monitor
home heating fuel inventory levels. It
directs the administrator of the Energy
Information Administration, using data
compiled from the Administration's
Weekly Petroleum Status Reports, to
notify the governor of each state in a
Petroleum Administration for Defense
District if that district's inventory of
residential heating fuel has been below
the most recent five-year average for
more than three consecutive weeks.
"The provisions in this bill act as an
informal early warning system that will
increase communications between state
and federal authorities to identify potential
supply and distribution challenges before
they happen," Roldan said in a statement.
Senator John Thune (R-SD) intro-
duced the Reliable Home Heating Act
in May. Both the House and Senate
passed the same legislation by unani-
mous consent.
The NPGA is the national trade
association of the propane industry. It
represents approximately 3,000 com-
panies, including producers, wholesal-
ers, transporters, and retailers of pro-
pane gas as well as the manufacturers
and distributors of associated propane
equipment and appliances.
