September 2023 Issue Highlights

OREGON TO ALLOW SELF-SERVE FUELING

SALEM, OR. — After over 50 years of being banned in Oregon, motorists will be allowed to refuel their own vehicles.

Under the terms of House Bill 2426, which was signed into law by Governor Kotek on August 4, Oregon drivers will now have the choice to pump their own fuel or receive service from a gas station attendant. The bill was passed by "overwhelming bipartisan support"in the state legislature.

Under the new law, at least 50% of the pumps in high population areas must still offer attended service for elderly, disabled, or preference-driven customers. If the station or its convenience store is open, an attendant must be available to fuel customer vehicles, including overnight shifts.

In 2015, legislators allowed self-serve gasoline during nighttime hours in rural and coastal counties. This action let stations allow their customers to fuel during hours when there was little business to justify keeping employees on the island. It also helped retailers keep their stations open in rural areas where there was need for fuel but there were no employees available to work in the service stations.

With the success of that legislation, Oregon officials extended the self-serve allowance to all hours in rural counties. Additionally, in 2020, 2021, and 2022, Oregon's Fire Marshal temporarily lifted the self-service ban statewide during emergencies like wildfires and heatwaves, opening the door to a more permanent solution.

Fuel retailers and gasoline station owners lobbied in favor of self-serve, noting that it was difficult to find staff to pump the fuel. In fact, the Northwest Grocery Association argued that the bill wouldn't eliminate jobs because half the pumps at most gasoline stations were already closed due to lack of staffing.

The new law also allows aviation fuel to be dispensed by a member of the general public "for the purpose of fueling an aircraft at airports permitted by the Oregon Department of Aviation."

"This bill strikes a balance between consumer preferences, business needs, and employment considerations," said Senator Janeen Sollman (D - Hillsboro), a sponsor of the bill. "It provides Oregonians choice at the pump, while still protecting access for the elderly and disabled community members."

D&H UNITED ACQUIRES TANKNOLOGY

HOUSTON, TX. — Petroleum equipment distributor, installer, and service company D&H United has acquired Tanknology Inc. The purchase price was not disclosed.

Tanknology provides environmental compliance services and inspections to over 3,000 customers across the United States.

While D&H United has been rapidly expanding in recent years — including acquiring Kubat Equipment in Denver, CO., and Cochise Equipment in Phoenix, AZ., in the West — the addition of Tanknology marks D&H's entry into the West Coast, Pacific Northwest, and Northeast markets.

Tanknology itself had closed a deal to acquire Northwest Tank and Environmental Services, based in Woodinville, WA., in May.

D&H United announced plans to hire Tanknology's 450 employees, including 325 field technicians working in the compliance service business.

"I am extremely proud of Tanknology's employees, our customer-centric culture and 35-year history," said Tanknology CEO Allen Porter, announcing the deal. "This powerful combination of companies further broadens the scope of services to better serve the evolving needs of our clients."

With the addition of the Tanknology staff, D&H United will now have over 1,150 team members, including 825 field technicians along with 33 offices operating across the United States.

Bo Sasnett, CEO of D&H stated, "We could not be more excited about this transformative acquisition that brings together two very successful companies. Our vision is to provide our customers with a turnkey suite of site services with coverage and resources across the country. This powerful combination continues our record of exciting growth and success for all our team members and customers. We have the highest regard for Allen and the Tanknology team and are pleased to have them join the D&H family with this groundbreaking partnership."

D&H United is a portfolio company of Wind Point Partners.

WORLD ENERGY SIGNS SUPPLY DEAL WITH WORLD FUEL SERVICES

BOSTON, MA. — Sustainable aviation fuel refiner World Energy has signed a six-year, up to 27 million gallon supply agreement with World Fuel Services of Miami, FL.

Sustainable aviation fuel refiner World Energy, based in Paramount, CA., is one of the only SAF producers that manufactures its product entirely in the United States. Its facility uses renewable feedstocks — including agricultural waste, fats, and oils — to produce neat SAF certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) to reduce emissions by 84% compared to the same volume of traditional jet fuel. World Energy is the only company producing RSB-certified SAF.

"This long-term commitment from World Fuel Services shows confidence not only in the best-in-class carbon intensity of our fuels but in the strength of the sustainable aviation fuel industry as a whole," said World Energy CEO Gene Gebolys, announcing the agreement. "Our continued partnership with World Fuel Services promises to deliver sustainable fuels at the scale necessary to meet customers' ambitious emissions reduction targets and help them decarbonize their operations."

"We have been collaborating with World Energy since 2016, and this new agreement demonstrates the strength of our joint commitment to decarbonization," said Brad Hurwitz, senior vice president of supply and trading at World Fuel Services. "Our work together has enabled not only the significant expansion of World Energy's Paramount refinery but also advances a greener future for the aviation industry by significantly increasing the immediate availability of SAF across World Fuel's extensive network of FBO, business, and commercial aviation customers."

World Fuel Services supplies the sustainable aviation fuel and logistics for major airlines including United Airlines, KLM, and JetBlue.