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The Front Burner
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration (FMCSA) requires
strict compliance with Federal drug
and alcohol testing regulations for
motor carriers and drivers. Employers
in violation are subject to civil and
criminal penalties.
The NEFI Alliance Consortium si a
simple, quick and inexpensive solution
to this federal
ment.
require As a non-
profit group, the NEFI Alliance is able
to offer this comprehensive program
at a most reasonable cost.
Avoid severe fines…
Join today!
Mandatory Drug & Alcohol Testing
Regulations for Motor Carriers…
It’s The Law!
NEFI Alliance Consortium
238 Bedford Street, Suite 2
Lexington, MA 02420
For program information
and application information,
call 617-924-1000,
fax 617-924-1022, or
email
*Figures taken from Energy Information Administration’s “This Week In Petroleum.”
THE BAROMETER
Comparing Heating Oil to Other Financial Products
November 4, 2013
One Year Ago
No. 2 Fuel Oil/New York (dollars/gallon)
$2.864
$2.985
WTI Crude (dollars/barrel)
$94.58
$85.64
Brent Crude (dollars/barrel)
$104.85
$105.59
10-year Treasury Bill
2.63%
1.72%
30-year mortgage
4.16%
3.40%
Dow Jones Average
15,639
13,112
THE DIFF.
Spot Prices (Cents/Gallon) as of November 4, 2013*
New York Harbor
New York Harbor
U.S. Midcontinent
No. 2 Fuel Oil / Heating Oil
No. 2 ULSD
No. 2 ULSD
2.864
2.874
2.814
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A serious threat to energy logistics in northern New England was averted when South
Portland voters narrowly defeated an ordinance that would have severely restricted oil
terminal development and threatened the port’s future as an energy hub.
On. Nov. 5, South Portland voters defeated the so-called Waterfront Protection
Ordinance by a vote of 4,453 to 4,261. Jamie Py, President of the Maine Energy Marketers
Association (MEMA), said that energy marketers united to defeat the threat. “It was a lot
of work, a lot of hand-to-hand combat and speaking one-on-one with residents about
what this ordinance actually meant and how it would affect the waterfront,” he said.
The ordinance was proposed and supported by a coalition calling itself Protect South
Portland, which claimed that the measure would prevent the potential transportation of
tar sands oil from Canada to South Portland. Py said the ordinance was much broader in
scope than that and would have prevented expansion of petroleum-related activities on
the South Portland waterfront.
The petroleum industry mounted a vigorous defense of the terminals, with a
MEMA-led coalition raising about $200,000 and the American Petroleum Institute (API)
putting in about $600,000. Meanwhile, the ordinance proponents were well organized
and raised about $200,000 of their own, according to Py.
He said the election seemed to turn on the issue of local jobs. The MEMA coalition
published a report that estimated that South Portland would lose 5,600 jobs and $252
million in accumulated earnings over the next decade if its petroleum industries shut
down as a result of the ordinance’s passage.
The victory was an extremely important one for the energy infrastructure of New
England, according to Py. “Had this passed, we would have ended up losing the interna-
tional connection, the network and logistics. When you lose the logistics, the transporta-
tion of petroleum becomes much more expensive,” he said, while adding that the fight
is far from over. As
Oil & Energy
went to press, the South Portland City Council was
considering a 180-day moratorium on development relating to tar sands oil.
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Democratic Commissioner Bart Chilton recently announced his intention to leave the
Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in the near future. “[Chilton] has been
a champion of end-users and consumers,” New England Fuel Institute (NEFI) said in a
statement last week. “He leaves behind a legacy of positive reforms and will be missed.”
Chilton’s departure marks the third vacancy at the five-member Commission.
Chairman Gary Gensler is also departing at the end of the year, and a Republican seat has
remained unfilled since the summer.
