Unlikely Allies : California Restaurants and Liquid Fuel Dealers
The U . S . Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit denied a petition
STEPHEN BENNETT for rehearing filed by the City of Berkeley in California Restaurant Association v . City of Berkeley , the Association said . The denial signifies that the panel ’ s ruling , which found Berkeley ’ s natural gas ban to be in violation of federal law , will remain binding for California and eight other states , the Restaurant Association said . What has this to do with fuel dealers ? Read on .
The decision appears to assert the primacy of the federal Energy Policy and Conservation Act ( EPCA ), and could have implications for energy policy in additional states and localities where similar bans have been proposed or are being considered . The Connecticut Energy Marketers Association noted in its newsletter , CEMA Pipeline , “ since EPCA covers oil- and propane-fired furnaces and boilers , this ruling would likely prevent cities and states from outright banning our industry ’ s appliances as well , whether through a direct ban or through a code change .” For more on this matter , turn to State by State , page 9 .
Update from NEFI on Energy Star The National Energy & Fuels Institute reports that it has learned “ from sources on Capitol Hill that the U . S . Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) has effectively placed a hold on its proposal to phase out liquid- and gas-fired furnaces and boilers from the Energy Star program .”
The trade group reports in its newsletter , NEFI Energy Online News ( NEON ), “ This information comes after the proposed start date of January 1 , 2024 , passed without any actions or stakeholder announcements from the agency .
“ Specifically , we were informed the EPA does not plan to move forward ‘ any time soon ,’ effectively maintaining the status quo – at least for now ,” the industry group noted , adding that the development “ is a considerable victory for fuel dealers and HVAC service providers . Our concerted efforts , including extensive comments and a grassroots campaign that generated nearly 700 letters of opposition , were instrumental to this outcome .” For more on this reporting by the Institute , turn to page 18 .
Fighting for LIHEAP The National Energy and Utility Affordability Coalition ( NEUAC ), and industry groups joined in advocating for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program . LIHEAP Action Day , Feb . 6-7 in Washington D . C ., involved a coalition of groups that support the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program , including NEFI and state energy marketer groups .
LIHEAP supports vulnerable people , including military families , disabled veterans , and seniors , helping them afford home heating and cooling bills , noted the National Energy & Fuels Institute . For more , see “ LIHEAP Action Day ,” in the News section , page 6 .
Biodiesel Posts Record Growth Clean Fuels Alliance America welcomed EPA ’ s release of Public Data for the Renewable Fuel Standard , including final production volumes for 2023 . EPA ’ s data shows that U . S . production of biomass-based diesel – including biodiesel , renewable diesel , sustainable aviation fuel ( SAF ), and heating oil – reached 4 billion gallons in 2023 . Both domestic production and use of advanced biomass-based diesel grew by 1 billion gallons in 2023 , compared to 2022 . For more , see Fuels / EIA news , starting on page 10 . l FON
Serving The Deliverable Fuels Industry
EDITORIAL STAFF
Editorial Office EPG Brand Acceleration 7760 France Ave S , Suite 810 Bloomington , MN 55435
Editor Stephen Bennett 763 / 383-4406 sbennett @ epgacceleration . com
Columnists Thomas Tubman Shane Sweet George Lanthier Marci Gagnon
List Rentals Kris Grauer 203 / 822-7933 kgrauer @ npsmediagroup . com
Reprints For more information on e-prints or reprints from Fuel Oil News magazine , Please visit https :// epgmediallc . com / creative-solutions / and contact us today or email us at info @ epgacceleration . com .
PRODUCTION Graphic Artist – Chloe Kirks
ADVERTISING SALES
Central , South & East Dave Campbell , Associate Publisher 763 / 383-4457 dcampbell @ epgacceleration . com
MAIN OFFICE
EPG Brand Acceleration 7760 France Ave S , Suite 810 Bloomington , MN 55435
CUSTOMER SERVICE
763 / 383-4492 • Fax : 763 / 383-4499 customerservice @ epgacceleration . com Fuel Oil News Box 96 , Port Jervis , NY 12771-0096
4 FEBRUARY 2024 | FUEL OIL NEWS | www . fueloilnews . com
BRAND ACCELERATION