LP/Gas articles from January 2003

LP/Gas archives from January 2003

Big Brother calling. (View Point).(Homeland Security Act)
January 1, 2003... Propane marketers consistently cite their frustration with overly invasive federal bureaucracy as a top concern and a primary reason for getting out of an otherwise rewarding business. That's one reason the National Propane Gas Association...

Supplier relationships. (In The Know).(propane dealers and suppliers)
January 1, 2003... In December 2002, our survey asked retail propane marketers about their relationship with their supplier. Sample: 340 surveys were sent out; 6 percent were received. Regions Surveyed: Arizona, Georgia, Mississippi, New York, North...

LP/gas stock index.
January 1, 2003... Propane Master Limited Partnership Comparison Company Symbol Quarter Price Ended (12/18/02) AmeriGas APU Sept $22.55 Ferrellgas * FGP Oct ...

Propane MLP price history.
January 1, 2003... Propane stock price history calculated by averaging unweighted prices for AmeriGas, Ferrellgas, Heritage, Inergy, Star Gas and Suburban master limited partnerships. Sources: Public information and A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. Ron Londe,...

Weather watch.(heating state by state)
January 1, 2003... Heating degree days by state State November Deviation Last 12 Deviation from norm months from norm Alabama 421 63 2832 -381 Alaska ...

The integrity of safety. (Safety First).
January 1, 2003... Without integrity, any safety success is just a flash in the pan. We often take for granted the aspects of our lives that depend on integrity. Meanwhile, we trudge straight ahead into the future assuming all is right with the world. ...

Pricing: Balance on the fulcrum. (Business Matters).
January 1, 2003... To prepare for this article on pricing, I surveyed a region in the country--similar to the market most of you live in--that is healthy, both in terms of the retail market environment and the general economy. This multi-county region is...

Pipeline regulations to tighten more. (Washington Report).(Pipeline Infrastructure Protection to Enhance Security and Safety Act of 2002)
January 1, 2003... Pipeline regulation will get somewhat more stringent over the next four years. Congress has approved the Pipeline Infrastructure Protection to Enhance Security & Safety Act of 2002, which both provides more oversight power and more research on...

Congress can't settle.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * The lame duck Congress that met after the November elections punted most of the decisions on energy matters, requiring the newly elected Republican Congress to start fresh. * A conference failed to come to agreement on energy legislation...

LPG prices.(Energy Information Administration report)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * Residential propane prices in early December stood at 118.7 cents/gallon, up 6.7 cents from a year earlier. Wholesale prices went up 1 cent per gallon over the year to 56 cents. * Despite a chilly November, inventories remained in the...

Propane's share.(Energy Information Administration report)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... * Propane provided less than 1 percent of utility generation in the United States in 2001, the EIA reports.

New rules for secured transactions. (Legal Ease).
January 1, 2003... An important portion of the uniform commercial code (the "UCC") has undergone sweeping revisions and has been adopted with some variations as law in virtually all states. This section of law governs how valid security interests are created...

Upcoming events.(Calendar)
January 1, 2003... * February 2-4 National Propane Gas Association board meeting at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Washington, D.C. For details, call Mary Bresnahan at 202-466-7200. * February 20 Western Propane Gas Association board meeting at The Red Lion...

Looking ahead: frustration builds as residential propane fuel cell market still years away.
January 1, 2003... The promise of new technology that could double propane use in the average home remains an elusive tease for propane marketers with visions of fuel cells selling off the shelves the local Home Depot or Sears. In truth, experts say it could...

Frustrated fuel cell supporters decry unit availability.(Fuel Cell Seminar 2002)
January 1, 2003... Keynote speakers at the Fuel Cell Seminar 2002 expressed impatience with the slow pace that fuel cells are becoming commercially available, and were often unwilling to concede that fossil fuels like propane may have an important role to play in...

Remote monitoring: popular devices saving the costs of special delivery runs. (Riding Technology's New Wave).
January 1, 2003... Running out of fuel can bring catastrophe to critical accounts, especially those that use large volume of propane for commercial purposes. Keeping these key clients content often involves considerable outlays of time and money, especially in...

Metering devices: metering is teetering as a propane industry add-on.
January 1, 2003... Customers with vapor meters attached to their lines tend to pack up and move in the middle of the night without telling the propane dealer, while the marketers themselves are shying away from extending the manpower for meter readers. ...

Gauging dial performance levels: Sonic sensors may see boom as researh continues on externally mounted gauges.
January 1, 2003... The traditional float gauge has buoyed the industry for years, of course, but customer service problems can arise if that device has become damaged, worn or simply just out-of-date. "If a gauge is older than 1980, we recommend replacing...

Clean-burning hybrid power: shuttle bus among public transportation applications.
January 1, 2003... People are climbing on board the propane bus as the industry steps up its efforts to showcase hybrid propane-electric transit vehicles. The buses thus far on the route are providing efficient, environmentally friendly service while attracting...

Enlightened leaders make the difference. (Let's Talk).
January 1, 2003... 3 With employers facing labor shortages and unprecedented worker mobility, a stable, productive workforce of drivers, owner operators and support employees is relatively unusual in the rapidly changing trucking industry. It has been my...

Mailbox.(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2003... Industry strategy Your comments in the November 2002 LP/GAS View Point ("What's the game plan?") should spur some immediate action. Like most calls to action, however, I suspect the mobilization of the industry will continue to languish....

Martin Industries to sell assets, business to Monessen Hearth Systems. (Florence, Alabama).(chapter 11)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Martin Industries Inc. will sell virtually all of its assets and business to Monessen Hearth Systems Co. for $4.4 million and expects to reorganize under a Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The deal significantly boosts Monessen in the hearth products...

Bush plans cut in funds for home heating assistance. (Washington, D.C.).(Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... More than 438,000 families nationwide could be dropped from a home energy assistance program this year under the proposed White House budget for 2003. President Bush has proposed spending $1.4 billion--plus $300 million in emergency...

Black & Veatch Pritchard claims new LPG recovery technology. (Kansas City, Missouri).(liquefied petroleum gas )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Black & Veatch Pritchard Inc. has developed a new technology for recovering LPG that is said to be more efficient and less expensive than other methods of processing low-pressure gases. The process, called PRO-MAX, recovers high levels of...

Heritage buys assets of V-1 Oil, nation's 20th largest retailer. (Idaho Falls, Idaho).(Heritage Propane Partners L.P.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Heritage Propane Partners will add 30 million gallons to its annual sales with the acquisition of the propane assets of V-1 Oil Co. of Idaho Falls, Idaho. V-1 Oil, which operates from 35 district locations in seven northwestern states, was...

Inergy acquires assets of retailer in North Carolina. (Hamlet, North Carolina).(Central Carolina Gas Co.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... Inergy will add 2,000 retail customers with the acquisition of the assets of Central Carolina Gas Co. of Hamlet, N.C. Central Carolina delivered about 1.2 million gallons of propane in 2002.

NGL Supply purchase of Phillips' wholesale arm OK'd. (Tulsa, Oklahoma).(NGL Supply Company Ltd. acquires Phillips Propane)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... NGL Supply has bought Phillips' propane operations at Jefferson City, Mo., and East St. Louis, Ill., as part of the merger of Conoco and Phillips. The deal was approved by the Federal Trade Commission in November. NGL Supply, a...

Indiana adopts newest edition of NFPA LP Gas code. (Quincy, Massachusetts).(National Fire Protection Association liquefied petroleum gas standards)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... The Indiana Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission has adopted the newest edition of NFPA 58, the Liquified Petroleum Gas Code. The code, which is updated every three years, applies to the operation of all LPG systems, including...

Receiver seeking Tesher Corp. policy holders to process claims. (Tyler, Texas).(John William Tesseyman III)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2003... A receiver appointed to manage claims against Tesher Corp. of Tyler, Texas, is notifying policy holders that the company is in receivership and claims must be filed by Feb. 3. John William Tesseyman III, president of Tesher Corp., sold...

PERC meeting.
January 1, 2003... The Propane Education & Research Council (Council) met on December 9-10 in San Antonio, TX, for its quarterly meeting.

Consumer Education Advisory Committee (CEAC) Update.
January 1, 2003... Council Senior Vice President Kate Caskin, Andy Ferrin of communications firm Porter Novelli, Washington, DC, and Jean Statler and Bill Dalbec of research firm Wirthlin Worldwide, Herndon, VA, presented an update on the 2002 advertising...

Multipurpose boilers. (Products).
January 1, 2003... Quietside Corp. announces that its QVM9 and QXM8 (oil only) Multipurpose Boilers have earned the EPA's ENERGY STAR rating for efficiency. ENERGY STAR-labeled boilers have a rating of 85 percent AFUE or greater, and are about 6 percent...

Gas/fire monitoring system. (Products).
January 1, 2003... Crowcon Detection Instruments offers a multi-channel gas and fire monitoring system in four configurations for installation versatility. The Vortex provides up to 12 gas detection channels, including three for fire, and 24 relay outputs to...

Electro-hydraulic crane. (Products).
January 1, 2003... Ideal Crane Corp. presents a new generation of its Liberator electro-hydraulic cranes for moving and setting LP tanks. The cranes range in capacity from 2,000 to 6,000 pounds. The Liberator 4000 crane now includes a more rugged and reliable...

LP pressure washer/jetter. (Products).
January 1, 2003... Michigan Power Cleaning announces a new liquid propane pressure washer and pulsating water jetter. The 20hp electric-start Kohler engine is fueled by a standard forklift-style LP tank. The pressure washer has a gear-drive CAT or GENERAL...

Vent-free fireplace system. (Products).
January 1, 2003... Vanguard presents the Total Control Fireplace System, giving the user total control over the unit through the touch of a button. The system is the first in the heating industry to offer customers the ability to light the pilot, adjust the...

Fireplace insert. (Products).
January 1, 2003... Jotul North America presents the Jotul GI 425 DV Camden gas insert for warming small- to medium-sized living spaces. The unit is easy to install and provides adjustable, furnace-rated heat with 50 percent heat control turndown. Users can...

Personal gas monitor. (Products).
January 1, 2003... Crowcon Detection Instruments offers a new four-channel personal gas monitor to test for levels of flammable gas, oxygen, and toxic gases. The Cardinal emits a wailing siren and ultra-bright flashing LEDs visible over a 270-degree angle if...

Coating system. (Products).
January 1, 2003... NCP Coatings Inc. introduces its new Optically Active Coating System for critical applications of units that offer lifetime inspections. The system features an optically active pigment additive to the coating formulations that makes the...

PSC motor models. (Products).
January 1, 2003... Carlin Combustion Technology Inc. introduces two new PSC motor models, available in propane, for field replacement of older split phase motors. The 1/6 HP motor for the Carlin 201 Gas Burner has a 48N frame. The 1/15 HP motor for the...

Vent-free fireplaces. (Products).
January 1, 2003... Martin Industries expands its vent-free line of fireplaces with the Charleston Series of two new compact units. The Charleston Series features a slim profile with a 12-inch framing depth. The VF3500 measures 32 inches wide and 30 and...