Industry fears proposed efficiency rules could damage propane use. Increased energy-efficiency standards for water heaters that went into effect in April could give propane an edge over its electric counterpart. Those within the water heater industry say the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) standards will ultimately raise both the cost and physical size of gas and electric appliances and potentially... read more
The Department of Energy (DOE) committed about $11 million to fund the development of alternative fuel technologies for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles designed to reduce reliance on gasoline, diesel and oil imports in the United States. DOE reports the funding opportunity relates to two areas: medium- and heavy-duty vehicle powertrain electrification and heavy-duty vehicle dual-fuel fleet demonstration. According to a... read more
Hammond Transportation, an Ontario, Canada-based bus operator, replaced 20 of its Parry Sound, Ontario, diesel school buses with propane autogas buses. Hammond Transportation purchased the buses from Girardin Inc., a Blue Bird distributor in Quebec and Eastern Canada. Each bus comes with a Roush CleanTech autogas fuel system. Hammond Transportation installed an autogas fueling station at its Parry Sound bus... read more
Several members of BP Energy Co.’s natural gas liquids (NGLs) team in Houston plan to retire this year. BP Energy reports the following individuals retired or plan to retire in 2015: Jill Hood, southeast propane marketer, will retire Sept. 25. Hood worked in the energy industry for more than 35 years. She has worked at BP, Western Gas Resources and Union... read more
Waterside Energy proposed to build the Washington Energy Storage & Transfer facility in Longview, Wash., and use it to receive, store and export LP gas to markets around the Pacific rim. According to a project overview from the company, Waterside Energy would invest more than $450 million in the facility. The facility would have the capability to receive 75,000 barrels... read more
Phillips 66 and Spectra Energy, equal joint-venture owners in DCP Midstream LLC, entered into a non-binding letter of intent for contributing assets to strengthen DCP Midstream. According to a press release, Phillips 66 agreed to contribute $1.5 billion in cash, which is expected to pay down a portion of the DCP Midstream revolving credit facility. Spectra Energy agreed to contribute... read more
Southcross Energy Partners LP launched a binding open season to solicit commitments for its recently completed 20,000-barrels-per-day propane pipeline system. The binding open season started Sept. 4 and ends at 7 p.m. EST on Oct. 5. The pipeline system allows Southcross to offer propane transportation services from Southcross’ Bonnie View fractionator near Woodsboro, Texas, to Corpus Christi, Texas, for delivery... read more
The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) plans to host a one-hour webinar at 2 p.m. EST Sept. 22 on fire safety considerations when using propane on food trucks. Attendees must register online before the webinar. The presentation will focus on recent food truck incidents in the United States and Canada. The IAFC says it will discuss propane hazards in... read more
Propane autogas stations don’t open at major U.S. airports every day, but Blue Star Gas recently opened one at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. According to Blue Star Gas, autogas will be the only fuel offered at the station. The station will be used to help nearby hotel fleets that run on autogas. “We realized that not all hotels can support... read more
