Houston investment firm Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp. acquired Blue Bird Corp., which makes and sells propane-powered school buses. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the deal is worth about $500 million. The acquisition makes Blue Bird a publicly traded company. read more
Our office was recently involved in a Connecticut case over allegations that corrugated stainless steel tubing (CSST) manufactured by Omega Flex Inc. was defective because a lightning strike perforated it, resulting in a gas leak and subsequent house fire. The homeowner’s insurance company, Standard Fire Insurance, sued Omega Flex, claiming the product was defective, as it should have been able... read more
Hearth & Home Technologies is recalling, in collaboration with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, about 20,000 propane and natural gas fireplaces, stoves, inserts and log sets because the valves in the units may leak, creating a fire hazard. No injuries have been reported, the company says. The products were sold at fireplace stores from May through July of... read more
As I sit down to pen this column in mid-August, there are a multitude of topics I’d like to cover. It’s a tad early, but this is roughly the time of year when fleets begin the process of bunkering down for the season ahead. I’ve mentioned previously the virtues of keeping the dialogue open with current and prospective vendors throughout... read more
More than 50,000 barrels per day of propane transportation capacity was lost with the Cochin Pipeline’s reversal this year. According to ICF International, Cochin was the largest single source of propane supply into Minnesota (38 percent) and North Dakota (29 percent), and it was a significant source of supply into Indiana (17 percent) and Iowa (13 percent). In addition to... read more
Rep. Bob Latta, R-Ohio, introduced the Propane Supply and Security Act, legislation that he says will address the root causes of the propane shortage experienced last winter in a number of states. According to a press release, Latta’s legislation bears the same name as legislation Sens. Al Franken, D-Minn.; Rob Portman, R-Ohio; and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., introduced last summer. Latta’s... read more
Hoping to ease the trials and tribulations that beset last winter, propane providers are pulling out all of the stops to make a successful go at the coming cold weather. “We’re doing everything we can to ensure a smooth heating season, and we are working with governments and private sector partners to get industry members the most up-to-date supply information... read more
Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. chose Powertrain Integration‘s PIthon 8.0-liter V8 LPI engine to power its S2C Propane concept bus. The engine was also previously selected for the Freightliner S2G truck chassis and the Thomas Built Buses C2 Propane Saf-T-Liner. According to a press release, PIthon was developed with fuel system partner CleanFuel USA and with support from the Propane Education... read more
Paraco Gas Corp. appointed Dan Kostecki vice president of sales. The company says Kostecki has more than 20 years of management and sales experience. He most recently was northeast regional sales manager for ADT Security Services, where he managed both commercial and residential sales teams. read more
Southland Transportation, a Canadian school bus contractor, purchased 101 new Blue Bird Propane Vision buses that will be used to transport students from the Calgary Board of Education and Medicine Hat School District No. 76 in Canada. According to a press release, Southland Transportation first started operating Blue Bird Propane Vision buses in 2007. read more
