On May 28, President Joe Biden released his Administration’s proposed federal budget for the 2022 fiscal year. This budget calls for $6 trillion in spending, the highest amount ever requested by a President (35% higher than President Trump’s requested $4.4 trillion in 2019). 

President Joe Biden reached a deal with a bipartisan group of 10 Senators on June 24 to spend $973 billion over five years, and $1.2 trillion over eight years, on a package that would fund improvements to roads, bridges, ports, inland waterways, transit, airports and enhanced infrastructure for broadband, water and electric vehicles.

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held a hearing on June 9 to discuss the effects and public health consequences of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as PFAS. The Committee, chaired by Thomas Carper (D-DE) and Ranking Member Shelley Moore-Capito (R-WV), questioned a panel of environmental experts and concerned citizens:

Following the Colonial Pipeline shut down in early May, Colonial Pipeline CEO Joseph Blount faced two days of questioning June 8 and 9 before both the Senate Homeland Security & Government Affairs Committee and the House Committee on Homeland Security.

The Biden Administration’s proposed 2022 federal budget request includes $1.6 billion for the civil works program. In testimony before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies, acting assistant secretary of the Army for civil works Jaime Pinkham noted, “This funding request is the highest annual budget ever requested for the civil works program.”

 As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wind down, the White House announced it would not issue an emergency safety standard for COVID-19 that would apply to most workers, potentially skirting a campaign pledge. Instead, the administration and OSHA proposed a rule specifically for those in health care and health care settings.   

 

ILTA welcomed two new supplier members in June: Murphy Company, Inc. and Performance Heating, LLC.
 
Murphy Company, Inc., based in North Sioux City, South Dakota, has served as a large, professional and reliable insulation contractor for more than 20 years. Murphy Company has grown into a premier Midwestern contractor for insulation needs in the hospitality, multi-family projects, residential, mechanical, industrial and utility sectors. 
 
Performance Heating, in Alpharetta, Georgia, strives to provide customers with premium products, excellent customer service, and high-quality support. Performance Heating is your go-to resource for industrial heating equipment and services, with a large array of offerings that include thermal fluid heaters, steam boilers, water tube boilers, pressurized hot water heaters, heat recovery systems, and steam generators to clients in both the U.S. and Canada.

Bulk Transporter, June 17
Magellan Midstream Partners announced it will sell its independent network of 26 refined petroleum products terminals to Buckeye Partners for $435 million. The terminals, located predominantly in the Southeastern U.S., have a combined capacity of about 6 million barrels.

Benzinga, June 10
Murphy Oil Corporation has appointed Michelle A. Earley to Murphy's Board of Directors. Earley was formerly with Locke Lord LLP and has extensive expertise in mergers and acquisitions, securities regulation and corporate governance.

The Messenger, June 29
Sioux Falls, South Dakota-based POET has acquired the bioethanol assets of Flint Hills Resources in their entirety, including six bioprocessing facilities. POET is the world's leader in biofuels and with the acquisition increases its capacity by 40% to about 3 billion gallons annually.

Market Screener, June 22
Royal Vopak has been awarded a contract by Huizhou QuanMei Petrochemical Terminal Co., Ltd. to construct a greenfield industrial terminal in China's Guangdong province for liquid products storage and service.

Archyde, June 25
Citgo Holding, Inc. announced the appointment of Elio José Tortolero, Samuel Wilhelm as members of its board of directors, and Ernesto José Hernández Bolivar and Luis Giusti Lugo as members of the Citgo Petroleum Corporation board.

MarketScreener, June 25
Marathon Petroleum Corp's Nashville Asphalt Terminal was again recognized by the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration with its Volunteer Safety Through Accountability and Recognition (STAR) award.

Hunting Insider, June 9
Phillips 66 and Ducks Unlimited (DU) partnered in 2020 for a large wetland restoration project in the Byron Walker Wildlife Area in southcentral Kansas. The project included removal of invasive trees and restoration of original waterflows to enhance wildlife habitat.

BIC Magazine, June 18
Marathon Petroleum presented a check for $100,000 to the Texas City Independent School District's Industrial Trades Center to help cover costs for student internships, continuing education, scholarships and supplies during the coming year.

Market Watch, June 8
Plains All American Pipeline LP announced last month it will sell its Pine Prairie and Southern Pines natural gas storage facilities and about 70 billion cubic feet of capacity in nine caverns to a Hartree Partners affiliate for $850 million.

 

A six-month effort to engage the membership in the development of ESG principles for the terminal industry has culminated in a final draft that the ILTA Board of Directors will formally review and adopt at its meeting July 29-30, 2021.

ILTA is pleased to announce we will be welcoming Admiral William H. McRaven, USN (Ret.) as the opening keynote for our Annual Operating Conference, to be held October 4-5 in Houston at the Marriott Marquis. 

ILTA is delighted to announce that participation in this year’s Safety Survey and Awards Program hit record highs, with 49 companies submitting a safety survey and 18 companies applying for the Platinum Safety Award.

On the Monthly Industry Call of June 17, ILTA member companies took part in an opportunity to learn about secure and comprehensive software solutions for terminal automation, enterprise management, and data aggregation from Dearman Systems, an ILTA supplier member company.

ILTA’s Think Tank blog featured five new stories this month, with pieces on the early infrastructure deal negotiations, President Biden’s early $6 trillion FY2022 budget request, Colonial Pipeline CEO Joseph Blount’s congressional testimony, record participation in ILTA’s annual safety survey program, and an overview of three sessions we have planned for our conference and trade show.

ILTA’s next monthly terminal member call, set for July 15 at 4:00-5:00 pm (ET), will serve as an open forum for participants to discuss any challenges they might be facing, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. To register, please reach out to Leakhena Swett: lswett@ilta.org

Register today for ILTA 2021, the association’s annual trade show and conference, scheduled October 4-6 in Houston. While walking the trade show floor remains free, all visitors must pre-register. Conference admission is deeply discounted now, so make sure to register early! For information about the conference and trade show—or to register—visit ILTA’s conference website at: https://ilta2021.ilta.org/

ILTA’s summer Environment, Health & Safety, and Security Committee meetings will be held virtually again from August 30 through September 2. We are  developing a robust schedule as in previous iterations, so stay tuned for more information.