New Jersey Governor Appoints Propane Representatives to State Board

TRENTON (Nov. 28, 2000) NJPGA President Thomas Tarantin announced that Governor Christie Todd Whitman has appointed five representatives from the State Association to the newly created Liquefied Petroleum Gas Education and Safety Board. President Tarantin stated that the NJ Association is appreciative of the efforts of state lawmakers and the Governor in their support of this Board. Tarantin announced that Thomas Leahy, Executive Vice President of MGS Corporation; Gerard C. Stocker, President, Thomas Associates; Larry Horowitz, Vice President, H&H Gas and Appliance Corporation; Joe Cummings, Star Gas Propane, LP; and William P. Curcio, Executive Vice President, Eastern Propane Corporation were appointed by the Governor to represent the propane industry.
The Board legislation was passed by the Legislature and signed into law in May, 1999. The Board was established with powers to adopt rules affecting the storage, handling and distribution of liquefied petroleum gas. The Board also would be empowered to establish and enforce licensing standards for liquefied petroleum gas distributors and to develop programs to promote the safe use of liquefied petroleum gas.
Thomas Leahy has been the Executive Vice President of MGS Corporation for 23 years. He is a member of the Marketing Development Committee of the National Propane Gas Association and also serves on the NJPGA Board of Directors and Public Affairs Committee.
Gerard C. Stocker has been the President of Thomas Associates for 5 years. He is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the National Fire Protection Association and the National Society of Professional Engineers. He serves on the NJPGA Board of Directors and chairs the Program Committee.
Larry Horowitz is the Vice President of H&H Gas and Appliance Corporation. He has 30 years of experience in the propane gas industry. He is a member of the National Propane Gas Association Research and Development Committee and Technology and Standards Committee. He is also the Immediate Past President of NJPGA and President of the New Jersey Propane Education and Research Foundation.
Joe Cummings is the Corporate Fleet Director for Star Gas Propane, LP. He is a member of the National Propane Gas Association Safety Committee where he has actively served to draft and pursue many important safety bulletins. He also serves on the NJPGA Board of Directors and received the 1998 Howard Card Safety Award.
William P. Curcio is the Executive Vice President of the Eastern Propane Corporation. Along with NJPGA, he has held leadership roles in the United Way of Sussex County, the Sussex County Chamber of Commerce and the Community Builders Association. He was the recipient of the Grohmann Award for Outstanding Community Service. He is also Past President of NJPGA, chairs the Public Affairs Committee and continues to serve on the Board of Directors.
Tarantin noted that four of the representatives served as President of the Association and all have over 20 years experience in the propane industry. Because the Board is empowered to adopt rules setting standards for the design, construction, location, installation and operation of equipment for the propane industry in New Jersey, the combined experience of over 100 years will be of considerable value to the Board. In addition to the propane industry’s representatives, the Board will have three fire safety professionals and representatives from the environmental community, consumer community, public utilities, along with a member from the public as selected by the Governor.

New Jersey Propane Industry
Releases Economic Impact Study

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TRENTON (Nov. 6, 2000) -- The New Jersey Propane Education and Research Foundation and the New Jersey Propane Gas Association have released the results of a survey assessing the impact of the industry on New Jersey’s economy.

Conducted by New Jersey Economics, the study revealed that direct wage payments in New Jersey's propane distribution are approximately $47,000,000 annually. Individual wage payments in the industry average just under $47,000 annually, $10,000 over the statewide average wage of about $37,000 in all industries. This represents only wage payments to direct payroll employees, not the total impact the industry has on all wages paid to the household sector of the state. Economic activity in propane distribution has indirect wage effects as well.

Using the U.S. Department of Commerce's Input/Output model for guidance on wage impacts, an assessment of the total impact of the propane industry on wages can be made. For example, in wholesaling, each dollar in wages paid to direct employees results in an additional $0.55 in increased wages in other sectors of the economy. In retailing, each dollar in wages paid to direct employees results in an additional $0.66 in increased wages in other sectors of the economy. Based on these government estimates, the $47,000,000 in direct wages could result in a total increase in wages paid in New Jersey ranging from $68,000,000 to $73,000,000.

The survey also collected data on other payments made by the propane distribution businesses to various levels of government. Propane businesses pay almost $840,000 in local property taxes, more than $700,000 in State Sales & Use Tax on items they buy for their final use, contribute more than $258,000 to the state's unemployment insurance trust fund, and contribute an astounding $41.8 million to Social Security.