News , continued from page 8 .
� NYPGA SPRING CONFERENCE
The New York Propane Gas Association ’ s Spring Conference , Legislative Reception and Annual Meeting will be held at the Desmond Hotel in Albany , March 24-25 . Organizers said the event “ is consistently one of the top legislative conferences in the industry , and we expect record turn out this year . We have a robust agenda with diverse speakers and will hold our popular Legislative Reception again at the Fort Orange Club .”
To register or be an event sponsor , visit : www . ticketleap . events / tickets / nypga / nypga-2025-spring-conference-295879281
The program , details of which were forthcoming at this writing , begins at 9 a . m ., Monday , March 24 , with a Keynote Address . There will be panels and presenters throughout the day , which will include lunch and breaks . In the evening , transportation will be provided to and from the Legislative Reception at the Fort Orange Club .
On Tuesday , March 25 , after a breakfast , there will be committee meetings . Organizers said , “ We have many important updates about our association to share , election results , calls to action and more .”
� PHCC SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Applications are available now for the Plumbing-Heating- Cooling Contractors — National Association ( PHCC ) Educational Foundation 2025 scholarship program . The organization plans to award 65 scholarships totaling $ 150,500 to plumbing and HVACR apprentices working for PHCC — National Association members , trade school or community college students taking plumbing or HVAC classes and college students pursuing majors directly related to the plumbing-heating-cooling industry .
In the application process , scholarship candidates answer questions about their involvement in the trades and future career goals . They are asked to supply a letter of recommendation , which apprentices can secure from their PHCC member contractor employer , while students enrolled in trade schools or colleges can obtain it from a teacher or academic advisor . Scholarship amounts vary between $ 1,500 and $ 10,000 , with most scholarships valued at $ 3,000 . The deadline for all required documents to be turned in is May 1st , and the application form can be accessed at phccfoundation . org / scholarships .
The scholarships are funded by contractor donations to the PHCC Educational Foundation and by these corporate sponsors : A . O . Smith , Bradford White Corporation , Delta Faucet Company , Ferguson Cares Foundation , Home Depot Pro , InSinkErator , RIDGID , Scorpion Home Services Marketing , State Water Heaters , and Sterling ( a Kohler Brand ).
Contractor business owners want to ensure that apprentices and technicians are invested in their training and commonly will require new hires to pay for their own classes . This can be difficult for employees who are also supporting a family or stretching their finances on entry-level earnings . The Foundation ’ s scholarships can provide a bridge to the point where their growing skills deliver the job earnings needed to self-fund the rest of their training . “ And for employers who pay for their employees ’ training , our scholarships can free up training funds the company can reinvest in other areas ,” added John Zink , the Foundation ’ s VP of Development and Communications .
The PHCC Educational Foundation , a partnership of contractors , manufacturers , and wholesalers , was founded in 1987 to serve the plumbing-heating-cooling industry by preparing contractors and their employees to meet the challenges of a constantly changing marketplace . Information on the Foundation ’ s training and educational programs can be found at https :// phccfoundation . org .
� TRUMP EPA TO TRANSMIT CALIFORNIA WAIVERS TO CONGRESS
The EPA will be transmitting to Congress the Biden Administration ’ s rules granting waivers that allowed California to preempt federal car and truck standards promulgated by EPA and the U . S . Department of Transportation ’ s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration .
U . S . Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the move Feb . 14 in the Oval Office , alongside President Donald Trump and the newly created National Energy Dominance Council , that
“ The Biden Administration failed to send rules on California ’ s waivers to Congress , preventing Members of Congress from deciding on extremely consequential actions that have massive impacts and costs across the entire United States . The Trump EPA is transparently correcting this wrong and rightly following the rule of law ,” said Administrator Zeldin . “ The American people are struggling to make ends meet while dealing with rules that take away their ability to choose a safe and affordable vehicle for their families . As an agency , we are accountable to Congress , but most importantly we must be accountable to the American people .”
The EPA rules granting California waivers transmitted to Congress include California ’ s Advanced Clean Cars II , Advanced Clean Trucks , and Omnibus NOx rules . The two waivers regarding trucks not only increased the cost of those vehicles but also increased the costs of goods and the cost of living for American families across the country .
In his first week at EPA , Administrator Zeldin announced his “ Powering the Great American Comeback ” initiative to guide EPA ’ s work to protect human health and the environment while restoring the greatness of the American economy for the first 100 days and beyond . Today ’ s action advances two of the five pillars of this initiative : Permitting Reform , Cooperative Federalism , and Cross-Agency Partnership , and Protecting and Bringing Back American Auto Jobs . l FON
32 MARCH 2025 | FUEL OIL NEWS | www . fueloilnews . com