EP-ACT Newsletter Driving together, toward a greener tomorrow
March 2020 News & Events |
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EP-ACT Requests Nominations for Awards
Each year EP-ACT present awards to companies that have helped our organization accomplish its mission of petroleum displacement and environmental benefits to our region, through use of alternative fuels within the transportation sector. Award categories include: Advocate, Industry Support, Alternative Fuel Visionary, Environmental Excellence and Alternative Fuel Leadership. Make nominations for one or more of the categories on our new survey monkey nomination collection form. Your help in identifying these exemplary organizations is greatly appreciated!
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EP-ACT 4th Annual Golf Outing
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EPACT is planning to host it's 4th Annual Golf Outing on May 20, 2020! Enjoy a day of comradery and revelry at the Broad Run Golf Course located in beautiful West Chester PA. This is a great way to bring businesses together, invite potential customers or to thank your longstanding customers for their business. Our past events received accolades from attendees, and this year will be even better. We hope to see you then!
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All Pennsylvanians have an important role to play in stopping the spread of COVID-19 and saving lives. There are several programs now available through the state and federal government to provide help to businesses and nonprofits impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. -- Businesses - COVID-19 Working Capital Access Program. This $50 million is in addition to the $60 million in new funding provided last week to help small businesses impacted by the coronavirus through a new program under the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority’s COVID-19 Working Capital Access Program (CWCA) which began accepting applications this week from businesses with 100 or fewer full-time employees.
-- Businesses/Nonprofits - SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loans are also available for up to $2 million in assistance and can provide economic support to small businesses to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue they are experiencing.
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A massive bipartisan effort to provide relief to a U.S.
economy on ice just leapt over its last major hurdle. On Friday, the House of
Representatives passed a historic stimulus package known as the Coronavirus
Aid, Relief, and Economic Security or “CARES” act, which contains an unprecedented
$2.2 trillion in total financial relief for businesses, public
institutions and individuals hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The bill passed the House after Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) took the
unpopular step of blocking a voice vote that House members could conduct
remotely. House lawmakers quickly returned to Washington to appear in person
Friday, where they spread out in the galleries above the
House floor for safety. The bill
passed with a quorum of more than 216 members of the House present.
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Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive
Program
The Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program is
a new program that will expand the availability of domestic ethanol and
biodiesel by incentivizing the expansion of sales of renewable fuels. Grants will be available to help
transportation fueling and biodiesel distribution facilities convert to higher
ethanol and biodiesel blends by sharing the costs related to installing,
retrofitting and/or upgrading fuel storage, dispenser pumps, related equipment,
and infrastructure.
USDA
plans to make available approximately $86 million for implementation activities
related to higher blends of fuel ethanol, and approximately $14 million for
implementation activities related to higher blends of biodiesel. |
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The oil-price collapse wiped out tens of billions of dollars in energy-company stock market value in a moment Monday, calling into question the industry’s ability to pay a huge tab that it rang up with bondholders and banks to fuel its price war with OPEC.
Investors accelerated their flight from energy-company assets, sending stock and bond prices down by double-digit percentages. The exodus of capital threatens an industry that has been a pillar of the debt markets and of the U.S. economic recovery since the last recession. The declines are putting the U.S. oil industry in a precarious position in the coming months, with the fallout likely to ripple through everything from agricultural commodities to private-equity funds and affect a range of businesses, from manufacturers to financial institutions.
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UPS says it has entered into multi-year renewable natural gas (RNG) agreements with Kinetrex Energy and TruStar Energy. Together, these two contracts will supply UPS with up to 80 million gallon equivalents (GEs) of RNG over the terms of the agreements.
“The use of RNG is a very important part of UPS’s strategy to increase alternative fuel consumption to 40% of total ground fuel purchases by 2025. We are using both liquid natural gas (LNG) and compressed natural gas (CNG) as bridging fuels to increase our use of RNG,” says Mike Whitlatch, vice president of global energy and procurement at UPS. “This will have a measurable impact as RNG yields up to a 90% reduction in lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions when compared to conventional diesel. Using RNG is what will ultimately help UPS meet its 2025 sustainability goals.”
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IKEA, Hackensack Meridian Health among signatories to proposal for ‘once-in-a-generation opportunity to modernize and decarbonize our region’s transportation system’. TCI’s draft proposal is modeled somewhat after the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a cap-and-trade program that has helped to reduce carbon pollution from power plants. In this case, however, motorists at the pump, not utility customers, would pay the cost.
If adopted, the plan could boost prices at the pump by as much as 5 cents to 17 cents a gallon, according to TCI estimates, but could slash tailpipe emissions by 25% over 10 years. TCI is seeking to finalize a Memorandum of Understanding this spring to move forward with the cap-and-trade program.
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Electric Transit: Paving the Way for Future Proof Infrastructure ABB Webinar April 2, 2020 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Join this webinar to learn from the trenches of real-world bus electrification experience. Topics to be covered include the infrastructure landscape from the charger to the grid, functional interoperability concerns, and key factors that minimize risk and cost while optimizing every asset. Additionally, project case studies will be discussed, as well as what trends are developing to support eBus charging and grid infrastructure in the future. |
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100 Best Fleets in America 2020 Award Announcement Webinar
April 7, 2020 2:00pm - 3:00pm
100 Best Fleets will be hosting its award ceremony to celebrate the hard work and accomplishments of the top fleets in America and their teams. Also, hear and learn best practices from the top award winning fleet managers that can help improve operations. |
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Emerging Mobility Virtual Summit Association for Commuter Transportation
April 28, 2020 1:00pm - 4:15pm
With rapid advancements and ever changing challenges facing transportation, the Association of Commuter Transportation is offering its first virtual summit to provide an opportunity to share and learn about emerging opportunities in TDM. |
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THANK YOU EP-ACT MEMBERS AND STAKEHOLDERS!
EPACT has been serving the alternative transportation needs of Greater Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania for over 25 years, helping to displace over 5 million gallons of fossil fuel annually. We appreciate your time and support of our coalitions goals and invite you to share news updates and stories we can highlight here in our newsletter. To share your stories, please email Caroline McCallum. |
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Office: 215-990-8200 Address: 1900 Market St. 8th Floor Philadelphia PA 19103 Unsubscribe |
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