IPGA is hosting a fall board and membership meeting on Wednesday, November 15 at The Bridgewater Club in Carmel. All members are invited and encouraged to attend. Click here to RSVP.

Agenda

11:30am – 12:00pm      Committee Meetings

12:00pm – 12:30m        Lunch

12:30pm – 2:00pm        Board & Membership Meeting

Zionsville Community Schools joins 150 school districts that returned back to school in new propane school buses

Zionsville Community Schools is now operating 33 new propane school buses that are 90% cleaner than the current Environmental Protection Agency’s standard for nitrogen oxides. The fast-growing suburban public school district, which is located outside of Indianapolis, currently serves 8,000 students across nine campuses. To keep up with the community’s growth, the district increased bus routes using an alternative fuel that it knows and trusts: propane autogas.

“We love operating propane buses,” says Amy Eaton, transportation manager at Zionsville Community Schools. “They produce less pollution, which is great for our students. They’re much quieter, which benefits the drivers. And, they provide fuel savings, which is great for the school.”

About 150 school districts across the country began the 2023-24 school year with brand-new Blue Bird propane buses powered by ROUSH CleanTech’s innovative propane technology. Zionsville is just one example of school districts making the move to an affordable, sustainable alternative fuel that sets them up to easily meet upcoming emissions regulations.

“Propane provides a simple solution to complex problems,” says Todd Mouw, executive vice executive vice president at ROUSH CleanTech. “Propane is the common-sense approach — it works, and it will do the job you need it to while meeting regulations through 2027.”

The district began adopting propane autogas in 2020, with an initial purchase of 21 propane buses from MacAllister Transportation. The initiative to adopt a cleaner fuel has been so successful that the transportation department now operates 54 propane school buses, which is 65% of its fleet and 73% of its total daily routes. Propane vehicles reduce smog-producing emissions, eliminate particulate matter and lower nitrogen oxides by 95% compared with diesel. It is the leading alternative fuel for school buses in the United States, with more than 20,000 in operation in over 1,000 districts across the nation. There are about 600 propane buses in Indiana. Over the last three years, feedback about propane buses from district staff has been positive. “Once the drivers get behind the wheel, they love them,” says Eaton. “My mechanics love them, too.”

“The performance of a propane bus is very similar to a diesel bus in relation to speed and acceleration,” Eaton continues. “And there are zero issues starting up in cold weather.”

Similar to residential buildings, space heating is the most energy intensive application in the majority of commercial buildings too. In the U.S., space heating accounts for 32% of all energy consumed by commercial structures. Unsurprisingly, this figure rises to more than 40% in the Midwest and Northeast, both of which have cold climates. Nationally, 7% of all commercial buildings rely on propane to meet their space heating needs. Notably, across the New England Census Division, this number jumps threefold to 22%. And the gallon size of a typical commercial account is, on average, much higher than a residential one.

Across the country, we still have commercial buildings that burn wood, coal or fuel oil to help meet their energy needs, despite the negative impacts these fuels have on local air quality and the global climate. These businesses are located beyond the reach of natural gas infrastructure and are prime targets for LP marketers. Restaurants, of course, are included in this group. And if your company provides propane for a restaurant’s commercial kitchen, but does not provide fuel for their furnace or boiler, that is certainly something to engage them on.

More information on the energy needs of commercial buildings is available from the Energy Information Administration here. For additional materials on commercial propane applications, visit the Commercial Buildings & Construction section on PERC’s website.

For more information, contact NPGA’s Director of State Affairs, Jacob Peterson.

This week, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) released its Final Rule: Clarification to the Application of Emergency Exemptions. FMCSA proposed this rule on December 8, 2022, and attempted to cut the standard duration of a regional hours of service waiver from 30 days to 5 days. NPGA provided a comprehensive comment on the rulemaking, and FMCSA provided that in lieu of a 5 day duration for a regional hours of service waiver, it would provide a 14 day standard duration for an hours of service waiver, subject to extension. This duration is the same amount provided in the 48 state hours of service waiver NPGA secured over the holidays in 2022.

Further, the Final Rule states “FMCSA notes that in some cases, emergency declarations are issued in advance of an event that can be reliably predicated, such as a hurricane, blizzard, or flooding.” NPGA anticipates using this language to advocate for advanced declarations of hours of service waivers in the coming winter, should such waivers be required, in order to provide for enhanced preparations for storms.

For further information, please contact NPGA Vice President of Industry & Regulatory Affairs Benjamin Nussdorf.

The P3 Duty to Warn Program is a cost-effective turnkey process designed to provide propane marketers with a customized annual consumer safety mailing for their residential and commercial customers. P3 handles the entire propane Duty to Warn mailing process from start to finish for propane providers across the country. The comprehensive package includes:

• Discounted postage and printing
• PERC scratch-and-sniff propane safety brochure
• Personalized introduction letter
• Third-party verification certificate
• Secure file transmission

Click here to get a free quote on your annual Duty to Warn safety mailing.

The information contained herein is provided as a service by the Indiana Propane Gas Association (IPGA) for the purpose of education, communication, and information and IPGA accepts no liability relative to the contents, accuracy or use of these services. Nothing in this publication is intended to be construed as legal advice. The user is strictly cautioned to seek legal assistance when attempting to determine any legal rights, responsibilities and procedures with respect to business affairs, coding, or other legal aspects of operating a propane company. IPGA disclaims any and all liability for injury and/or other damages which result to a user from the material offered or discussed herein.



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Indiana Propane Gas Association

317.655.4444