$14M Available for Upgrading to Propane Bobtails & Service Trucks

Last month, the Texas Propane Gas Association highlighted the Light-Duty Motor Vehicle Purchase or Lease Incentive Program, a statewide incentive program available through the state for newly purchased or converted propane light duty vehicles.

This month, the Association wants to highlight another state grant vehicle program that provides larger grant amounts. Over $14M is available from the State of Texas in over one-third of Texas counties to switch your fleet or your customers’ fleet to propane autogas. This funding will expire during the first quarter of 2021, and if renewed by the Legislature in 2021 they will probably not be available again until fourth quarter of 2021 or even into 2022.

If you are thinking about buying a new propane-powered service truck or bobtail in the next year or two, and you operate in a qualifying area, you should consider applying for one of these first-come, firstserved grants available through the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s Texas Emissions Reduction Plan. While several programs in the past have been competitive, there are a couple that are not. You qualify if you have between 18 to 24 months to make your official purchase after you get the greenlight from TCEQ on your grant application.

Of all the TCEQ TERP programs currently available, the non-competitive first-come, first-served grant that makes the most sense financially is the Texas Natural Gas Vehicle Grant Program (TNGVGP). Do not let the name deceive you. The Texas Propane Gas Association was successful in getting propane included in this during the Legislative Session that took place in 2017. New propane vehicle purchases with a GVWR over 8,501 lbs. are eligible with replacing a gasoline or diesel vehicle in the same weight class.

To make it even easier the Propane Council of Texas offers complimentary grant consultation and writing through a PERC-funded docket.

Over the last two years, ProCOT has been successful in leveraging millions of dollars in grants for propane retailers, school districts and other fleets.

Just to reiterate. The grant landscape has changed. For years, many of these grants were competitive and some still are, but both the Light-Duty Motor Vehicle Purchase or Lease Incentive Program and Texas Natural Gas Vehicle Grant Program are first-come, first-served and you would be offered a grant offer before your purchase was made.

Eligible Areas for Texas Natural Gas Vehicle Grant Program, which includes propane:

Austin Area: Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis, and Williamson counties.

Beaumont-Port Arthur

Area: Hardin, Jefferson, and Orange counties.

Corpus Christi Area:

Nueces and San Patricio counties.

Dallas-Fort Worth Area:

Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Henderson, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, and Wise counties.

El Paso Area: El Paso County.

Houston-Galveston-Bra

zoria Area: Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, and Waller counties.

San Antonio Area: Bexar, Comal, Guadalupe, and Wilson counties.

Tyler-Longview Area: Gregg, Harrison, Rusk, Smith, and Upshur counties.

Other qualifying counties inside the

Clean Transportation Zone: Aransas, Atascosa, Austin, Bee, Bell, Brazos, Burleson, Calhoun, Colorado, DeWitt, Duval, Falls, Fayette, Freestone, Frio, Goliad, Gonzales, Grimes, Hill, Jackson, Jim Wells, Karnes, La Salle, Lavaca, Lee, Leon, Limestone, Live Oak, Madison, Matagorda, McLennan, McMullen, Medina, Milam, Navarro, Refugio, Robertson, Victoria, Walker, Washington, Webb, and Wharton counties.

Qualification Checklist

3 Do you operate in one or more of these counties at least 75% of the time? 3 Do you have an older gasoline or diesel vehicle you can retire MY 2009 or older? 3 Does this vehicle still run, basically; can a mechanic certify that it is still operational?

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3 Vehicle registration on said vehicle hasn’t lapsed more than 30 days in last 2 years. 3 The replacement vehicle will be a new dedicated EPA or CARB certified propane vehicle. 3 Retired vehicle and new vehicle are in the same weight class range. It must be like for like.

Under the grant program, the weight

class ranges are: 8,501-10,000; 10,001- 14,000; 14,001-16,000; 16,001-19,500; 19,501-26,000; 26,001-33,000; 33,001- 60,000; and 60,000+

Ex 1. You can replace a 26,000 – 33,000 lb. bobtail with 26,000 – 33,000 lb. bobtail.

Ex 2. You cannot replace a 20,500 lb. crane truck with a 33,000 lb bobtail. It’s not in the same weight class.

Real TNGVGP grant amounts awarded last grant cycle

$9,563 to replace MY 2006 gasoline bobtail with 1 new propane bobtail $42,701 to replace MY 2001 diesel bobtail with 1 new propane bobtail $24,383 to replace MY 2004 diesel bobtail with 1 new propane bobtail $43,036 to replace MY 2002 gasoline bobtail with 1 new propane bobtail $85,402 to replace MYs 2002 and 2004 diesel bobtail for 2 propane bobtails $130,107 to replace MY range 1992- 2002 gasoline and diesel bobtails for new 3 propane bobtails $250,131 to replace MY range 1995- 2006 gasoline and diesel bobtails for 6 propane bobtails

The grant amounts vary dependent on weight and emissions. The older and heavier vehicle you retire, the cleaner the vehicle you buy, the bigger the payout. Anything over 8,501 lbs. GVWR qualifies for the program; however, the greater the GVWR, the more appetizing the grant.

Some fleets and school districts also have used this program to retire old diesel buses for newer, cleaner propane school buses.

Application. The application deadline is February 26, 2021, but the program is also first come, first served while funds are available. The program will close in February, and if renewed by the Legislature may not reopen until fourth quarter of 2021 or even 2022.

Payments will be made on a reimbursement basis for eligible expenses incurred and paid by the grant recipient.

Application Assistance. Do not forget in 2020, the Propane Council of Texas has a complimentary grant writer to assist you through the application process. Please reach out to the ProCOT at (800)325-7427 or by email at info@propanecouncilofttexas.org for FREE grant consultation, grant writing, or see how much you could get for a diesel or gasoline vehicle you are ready to retire.

Awardee Responsibilities

• Retired vehicles and equipment are rendered permanently inoperable with 90 days of grant award. • Annual reports on the use of the grant-funded vehicle will be required until the fourth anniversary of the activity life start date; or the date the vehicle has been in operation for 400,000 miles after the activity life start date. If the grant recipient installs a GPS from the TCEQauthorized GPS contractor, the TCEQ may accept the reports available from the GPS service provider in lieu of the grant recipient submitting annual usage reports.

This is not an exhaustive list of what is available from TPGA members, but just a mere snapshot of some of their mono-fuel offerings that may qualify under this specific grant program specifically for the propane industry sector.

Dedicated Bobtail & Cylinder Exchange Trucks

Manufacturer Vehicle Engine

FREIGHTLINER CUSTOM CHASSIS CORPORATION Class

S2G S2G

ROUSH CLEANTECH

Ford 8.8L 8.0L

F650-750 7 7

7.3L 6-7

Fuel System

Dedicated Dedicated

Dedicated

Flatbed Crane, Tank Set, and Transport

Manufacturer Vehicle Engine

FREIGHTLINER CUSTOM CHASSIS CORPORATION

S2G S2G

ROUSH CLEANTECH

Ford Ford 8.8L 8.0L

F650-750 F450-550 7 7

7.3L 7.3L

Maintenance & Service

Manufacturer

ROUSH CLEANTECH

Ford

Vehicle Engine Class

6-7 4-5

Class Fuel System

Dedicated Dedicated

Dedicated Dedicated

Fuel System

People in Propane

Alicia Lopez died peacefully at home in Houston surrounded by her family on July 6, 2020, at the age of 85, after a courageous battle with vascular dementia. Alicia was the owner and manager of Rudy’s Bottled Gas and the Propane Pit Stop for over 50 years. Alicia was very generous, humble, and lived life with a servant’s heart, always putting others’ needs above her own.

Lucio Lopez, 83, of Santa Rosa entered into rest July 6, 2020. Lucio was a very hardworking and dedicated man, he worked in the propane business for 54 years. He loved helping people and serving others. He enjoyed playing his guitar, singing and serving in the choir at St. Mary’s Catholic Church which he did for many years.

Kenneth A. “PawPaw” McConathy went to Heaven on July 13, 2020. Kenneth worked at Sands Propane for 29 years. He raised cattle, farmed and cut/baled hay all over Parker county with his sons and grandsons throughout his life. He was a friend to everyone he met. Donations in his honor may be made to the “Bobby McConathy Vocational Scholarship Fund” at First Financial in Weatherford, Baker Baptist Church, or the charity of your choice.

Ramiro G. Atkinson, 78, passed away in April 2020 in Brownsville, TX. Mr. Atkinson was a successful businessman and owned Atkinson Propane for 48 years.

Ramiro was an active member of the Knights of Columbus. He enjoyed sports and played fast-pitch softball. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family at this time.

The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC)’s Propane Training Center offers not only safety training, but also sales training. Training is offered in various forms within the Learning Management System (LMS): streaming videos, e-learning modules, and downloadable PDFs.

Some of the sales training includes tackling and understanding marketing against electricity.

One such training is in the form of a downloadable PDF guide called Marketer Math: In the Numbers with Propane & Electricity. The guide helps propane employees prepare for conversations with customers and partners.

Propane industry personnel can use this guide to provide valuable information to and strengthen your relationship with customers and partners, and help propane companies and their employees promote benefits of propane when compared to electricity. The guide covers: getting started, measuring unit, energy content equivalency, cost comparison, benefits and talking points. Go to https://training.propane.com/ and login and search “Marketer Math” and you will be able to download the comprehensive training tool to help market against electricity. This award program is open to any woman operating in the LPG industry. The award recognizes an individual woman who has distinguished herself within the sector, has demonstrated leadership, has a proven record of success and influence in her community, who epitomizes the values for which WINLPG stands and who has made a particularly significant contribution to the LPG industry. A person or a company may nominate a candidate, or an individual may nominate herself. Applications are due to Nikki Brown, Global WINLPG Coordinator, at winlpg@wlpga.org by August 31, 2020. The winner will be announced at the World LPG Forum in Dubai, November 2020.

Both the Woman of the Year and Young Woman of the Year Applications can be

Got New Customers?

Marketer Math: In the Numbers with Propane & Electricity Training Guide

WLPGA is Accepting Nominations For Woman & Young Woman of the Year

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Then you need PSC’s New Customer Packets. These pre-printed new customer folders include a Keep Full bill stuffer, a comprehensive propane safety information brochure, a small cylinder safety pamphlet, and a tank locator decal. The folders are two-pocket and have a business card slot so that you can add your own company’s information to the packet. Go to www.propaneservicecorp.com and search for new customer packet, or contact PSC today at sales@propaneservicecorp.com or 800-392-0023 to order. Packets sold individually.

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FOR SALE (1) 30,000 gallon, 250 psi, stubby (2) 18,000 gallon, 250 psi, skidded, 2008

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Call or email for Pictures and Pricing @ 512-276-7800 or 1-800-696-3493 or sturner@directpropaneservices.com

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AUGUST

7 Propane Safety Tip & Recipe Calendar Deadline

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20 PERC Council Meeting Virtual

24-26

2020 Green Transportation Summit & Expo Tacoma, WA POSTPONED

31 Women of the Year Nomination Deadline

SEPTEMBER

7 TPGA & PSC office closed for Labor Day

10 Classified & Ad Deadline Texas Propane magazine

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Click LIKE on the Texas Propane Gas Association Page

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Propane Anchors High-End Houseboat Design

Propane and houseboats are a match made in… well, in this case, Seattle. That’s where Daniel Lofstrom’s company, Steady Floats, constructs many of the country’s houseboats, or floating homes as the industry sometimes calls them.

“Houseboats are perfect for propane,” said Lofstrom, who has been a practicing naval architect for 15 years. Power and environmental constraints generally make all-electric houseboats impractical. Available shore-based electricity is usually inadequate to power everything on a houseboat, he explained. In addition, “the [line] loss down at the end of the dock is more than you might expect.”

Upgrading the electric power supply for boat docks typically involves costly dredging and expensive underwater cables. Environmental permits for such work on sensitive waterfronts are difficult to obtain. That’s why Lofstrom’s houseboats are designed to get about half their power from propane. Propane provides the heat for such applications as on-demand water heaters, infloor heating systems and stoves.

Lofstrom said natural gas would be difficult to use because it’s not easily transported. Most houseboat owners simply go to the nearest propane seller and swap their empty containers for full ones. For floating homes with larger storage containers, a propane delivery service can come right up to dockside. “It’s easy, and it’s safe,” he explained, because all propane tanks on his houseboats are located on the outside in ventilated cabinets.

Here’s another reason propane is a safe choice for marine environments. It is nontoxic and simply vaporizes if accidentally released with no greenhouse gas impact. It burns very cleanly with virtually no soot and low sulfur and nitrous oxide emissions. In sensitive marine

environments, choosing propane as a primary energy source is a real commitment to sustainability.

By using propane, houseboats need only a 40-amp, 110-volt electrical hookup for their remaining power needs, something nearly every marina can accommodate, Lofstrom said. Of course, the energy mix can be altered depending on where the houseboat ends up.

In Washington state, where cheap hydropower is available, a 50-50 mix of electricity and propane for power works well. In California, where electricity rates are much higher, owners typically want boats that rely more on cheaper propane for power.

On regular days, Steady Floats builds for customers in Alaska, Florida, Maryland and Virginia. It may even clinch an order in Texas this year. For remote builds, the team in Seattle assembles the barges upon which the homes are built. The barges are shipped by rail to the customer’s location and parked on land. The firm then arranges for the necessary lumber to be sent to the barge location, and a Steady Floats crew arrives to build the home on top of the barge.

When done, the newly finished houseboat is eased into the water and towed to its final location. The cost for all this? In Seattle costs range from $750 to $1,250 per square foot. The construction is not the main cost but rather “waterfront property in the middle of the city.” The number of houseboat slips is limited by city ordinance to 400, of which only 200 have access to electricity.

By comparison, Texas has much lower costs, around $350 per square foot, because waterfront property on Texas lakes is considerably less expensive.

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