Category: Member News

Members of the PPA Heating Fuels Committee recently collaborated to create tools for dealers to communicate the statewide ULHSO mandate which is effective on September 1, 2020. The following free resources are now available for PPA members to utilize.

In the next 30 days a digital video will also be available to explain the consumer benefits of ULSHO.

— ULSHO Infographic (click here to download)

— ULSHO FAQ Flyer (click here to download)

— ULSHO Webpage (click here to view)

ULSHO Regulation Reminder & Limited Suspension Of Enforcement Information

The regulation is effective tomorrow (September 1, 2020). To view the regulation please click here.

The PPA worked with DEP to grant a limited suspension of enforcement waiver to allow heating oil dealers to meet the new standard. The suspended enforcement of the 15 ppm standard will be in place from September 1, 2020 to February 28, 2021. A copy of this enforcement notice can be found here.

This suspension of enforcement does not cover No. 2 and lighter commercial fuel oil received by the distributor or retail outlet after July 25, 2020 (publish date of regulation). This suspension does not cover distributors of commercial fuel oil by pipeline or supersede conditions in any air quality plan approval or operating permit.

A distributor or retail outlet covered by this limited suspension of enforcement must maintain adequate records onsite to document the quantity of No. 2 and lighter commercial fuel oil stored by the distributor or retail outlet in this Commonwealth on July 25, 2020, that exceeds 15 ppm sulfur content. The records shall be made available to the Department upon request.

This suspension also applies to No. 2 and lighter commercial fuel oil received by the ”ultimate consumer” as defined in 25 Pa.?Code §?121.1, on or before February 28, 2021.

Article from Pennsylvania Petroleum Association

The American Energy Coalition now has the recorded webinar aired a couple of months ago on the AEC website. The webinar as you will recall, was an encore performance first presented by Rich Sweetser and Ray Albrecht at the NEFI Heat Show in Providence back in September. Rich and Ray agreed to a do-over using the webinar format, and we appreciate their indulgence in helping us to get out this very timely and very important subject matter out to you.

The webinar is entitled “The Economics & Environmental Performance Of Biodiesel vs. Electric Heat Pumps”. You can access the recording in a number of ways, but the easiest is to go to: https://americanenergycoalition.com/about/member-resources/training-and-education-webinar/ We welcome you to copy this recording to your own websites and encourage your membership to view the presentation and share it with their staff. It is a very good overview of Heat Pumps and some of the problems associated with their use. It is also a good view of the electric grid and the challenges posed by the additional load that would accrue from conversions from hydrocarbon fuels to electric heat pumps, or electric vehicles for that matter.

The PPA is currently in contact with various state agencies to actively monitor the rapidly developing coronavirus (COVID-19) situation.

Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties are currently operating under aggressive social distancing guidelines. In Gov Wolf’s current Mitigation Guideline they are specifically instructing Supermarkets, pharmacies, and gas stations to remain open. They are “strongly recommending” nonessential business in these four counties to close for 14 days (March 28).

Late Sunday, March 15, Gov. Wolf ordered dine-in service at restaurants and bars in Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties to close for 14 days (March 30).  Businesses not complying with this order will be subject to enforcement action.  Click Here for more.

PPA has been in touch with PEMA, DEP, and other agencies to communicate the importance of heating oil and propane deliveries during this time.

We encourage you to notify PPA staff of any particular needs or concerns that you have so that we can communicate to the most efficient government employees to obtain the information or the help that you may need.

The PPATEC training program will be operating until March 18 to allow the current NORA Bronze Two Week Basic Oil Heat Program attendees to complete the class as a part of a condensed curriculum.

Our training facility will continue to follow Department of Health COVID-19 guidelines for business operations to ensure we are taking the necessary precautions for attendees.

PPATEC will be postponing all scheduled events from March 19 – March 27 as a precautionary measure. Attendees will be notified and contacted directly with more information.

We will be continuously monitoring and reassessing any scheduled classes after March 27.

The March 26 PPA Board of Directors meeting has been tentatively rescheduled to April 30. PPA conferences that are scheduled to take place in the upcoming months are still scheduled as planned.