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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pay more than $4,000, regardless of whether or not they offered pre-buys. The three marketers "stood up and took the bull by the horns," and were instrumental in persuading the legislators to drop the proposed legislation in favor of a different bill, the association said. Porto of Inland Fuel, with terminals throughout Connecticut and in Rhode Island, was honored for her "material assistance to the industry during times of supply constraints and on key regulatory matters such as the transi- tion to low-sulfur heating oil." Porto was also recognized for donating heating oil to families in financial need. In presenting MEMA's 2014 Industry Leadership awards to Peterson and MacFarlane, Board Chairman Ted Noonan of Noonan Energy, in Springfield, said, "Both Howard and Scott have shown true dedication to our industry with their out- standing work on our board of directors, and on many fronts on behalf of the entire heating oil and Bioheat industry in Massachusetts. They deserve our recognition and our sincere thanks for their expertise, leadership and financial support." MEMA President Michael Ferrante said, "Howard has been instrumental in helping to reshape, refocus and strengthen the abilities of not only our association but our regional trade association—the New England Fuel Institute. His work came at a crucial time as all of us attempt to set new and expanded priorities to help the industry survive and prosper." Ferrante added, "And Scott has consistently demonstrated that he is willing to do anything and everything in his power to help the industry. He is so giving of his time, his resources and his expertise, and he is truly one of our association's most loyal supporters and leaders." The OHIRI Hall of Fame Award recipient, Louise Giguere LeBlanc, began attending institute meetings in the 1980s, the first woman to do so, observed Julie A. Gill, head of the orga- nization. LeBlanc has served on the board of directors, held every office, made trips to Washington, D.C., serves on the institute's charitable foundation, and helps organize events. Working together for success A coordinated effort is required if the fuel oil industry is to continue adapting and overcoming the challenges it faces— that was the message from the conference's keynote speaker. "We can be a powerful force that changes our industry for the better," said the speaker, Eric Slifka, president and CEO of Global Partners, Waltham, Mass. Acting cohesively is to the ben- efit of dealers, suppliers and consumers, Slifka said. "There is an image that oil is imported and controlled by somebody else, and that needs to be changed," Slifka added in a follow up interview with Fuel Oil News, in which he expanded on some of the points he made in his Sept. 22 speech. Fuel oil businesses tend to be owned by local enterprises, often family concerns, "not some big corporation," Slifka said. "That's a great story that we've forgot- ten. We need to play that up." An ongoing boom in U.S. oil production is to the fuel oil industry's advantage as well, Slifka observed. "Oil is just as domestic as natural gas," he said. Fuel oil's position has been strengthened by the performance of natural gas, Slifka added, pointing out that the expectation that an abundance of local, cheap gas would mean lower prices "is not playing out that way. Natural gas is going to be priced high until there are mate- rial changes in how it's transported." In the his speech, Slifka credited Chris Herb, president of the Connecticut Energy Marketers Association, with battling for fuel oil's place in the Nutmeg State's energy market. "You have cast a bright light on the state government's misguided efforts to create energy policy in Connecticut," Slifka said. "This policy, instead of being inclusive of all energy sources, picks winners and losers. It is this shortsightedness that cre- ates risk for government and consumers alike. A policy of diversification of sources is a balanced approach to an ever- changing energy landscape." The "politics first" approach demonstrated by Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy's Comprehensive Energy Strategy "is an example of the way in which our industry is often perceived as dirty and easily expendable—a pair of brown shoes in a world of tuxedos," Slifka said. He noted it was "heartening" to read a Forbes column by contributor William Pentland with the headline: "Winter BUSINESS OPERATIONS www.fueloilnews.com | FUEL OIL NEWS | NOVEMBER 2014 25