Industry Summit VII: A New Industry Resolution for a New Path Forward!

Industry leaders ratify a new resolution outlining new Policy Principles for Equitable Building Decarbonization.

In 2019, the leaders of the liquid heating fuels industry gathered for the first “Industry Summit,” held at the culmination of the HEAT Show. That Summit resulted in the historic “Providence Resolution” wherein those association executives, business owners, and others committed to voluntarily reduce consumer use and greenhouse gas emissions by deploying more efficient heating systems and cleaner burning fuels.

Last month, at the Industry Summit VII, a who’s who of the industry again gathered at the conclusion of the HEAT Show and again created history, with the ratification of the Providence Resolution’s successor. The “Boston Resolution,” developed after months of research by the Northeast Working Group (NEWG), outlines a set of principles that will guide interactions with legislators, media, and the public regarding intelligent, actionable, and attainable building decarbonization. The new resolution was ratified unanimously and to much fanfare within the Summit.

“Much has changed since [the Providence Resolution]. The political landscape, economy, and consumer sentiment have all shifted as a result of invasive policies at all levels of government, which threaten to exacerbate inflation and limit consumer choice. But those same changes bring opportunity: the chance to build on our successes since 2019, adapt to new realities, and chart a bold new path forward,” said Jim Collura, President and CEO of the National Energy & Fuels Institute (NEFI). “In New England and throughout the country, states forcing residential electrification are putting vulnerable families at risk, threatening regional energy security and reliability, and often ignoring more immediate and lower cost solutions.”

Prior to the introduction and vote on the resolution, the Summit included presentations on the heating oil and propane industries’ responses to government electrification policies and better approaches through energy efficiency and renewable fuels, by Leslie Anderson, President & CEO of the Propane Gas Association of New England (PGANE), and Roger Marran, President of Energy Kinetics (see “Electrification Incentives and Regional Decarbonization”). NEWG co-chairs, Charlie Uglietto of Cubby Oil & Energy and Rocco Lacertosa of the New York State Energy Coalition (NYSEC) then discussed the genesis of the resolution before reading the text and commencing the floor vote.

Charlie Uglietto introduced the Northeast Working Group, or “New-G,” which was created by the NEFI Board of Directors in December of 2024 with the mission to “forge a unified path forward for our industry in the face of unprecedented challenges, but also extraordinary new opportunities. The NEWG brought together stakeholders from across our industry – retailers, distributors, manufacturers, and association leaders – all united by a common purpose. That is, to set forth a list of policy principles that, if truly taken to heart by policymakers, would safeguard a future for us all.”

According to Uglietto, the last five months have been spent conducting research; analyzing federal, state, and local policies; listening to presentations; and engaging in “countless” hours of deliberation.

“What emerged is not just another resolution – it’s a battle cry for common sense, consumer protection, and genuine environmental progress,” Uglietto said.

Before introducing his co-chair, Uglietto spoke passionately to the Summit attendees. “Our industry has already cut greenhouse gas emissions by 26 percent under the Providence Resolution. We didn’t wait for government mandates. We didn’t ask for taxpayer subsidies. We just did it – through innovation, investment, and sheer determination,” he stated.

“But here’s what keeps me up at night: Vulnerable families and small businesses are being targeted by these policies. Grid operators are sounding alarm bells about reliability, and AI and data centers are about to swamp our regional electric grid with new demand,” Uglietto continued. “In the middle of this perfect storm, they want to force all American homes and cars on to a grid that is now at a breaking point. That’s not just bad policy – it’s dangerous.”

Rocco Lacertosa of NYSEC then stepped up and provided insight from his position as executive director of an association on the front lines of the clean energy fight. While New York is one of the few states with an active biofuel mandate for liquid fuels, it also has laws banning fossil fuels in new buildings and is actively considering cap-and-invest policies.

Lacertosa noted that the new administration has moved toward an “all of the above” approach on a national level, and that over previous weekend he had been at an event on Long Island with New York Governor Kathy Hochul who also reiterated the need for an “all of the above” energy strategy. Furthermore, he had recently met with leaders of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) who had admitted that “they’d be relying on fossil fuels for a lot longer than we expected.”

“We have some cracks in the door,” Lacertosa said. “We are on our way, but we haven’t won it yet.”

He then outlined some of the challenges his members are facing, most notably the state’s building codes that would ban fossil fuels in new construction of many buildings of seven stories or fewer as of January 2026, and all new construction by 2029. While Hochul has made recent steps to distance herself from full electrification policies and the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) of 2019, she has not yet backed down from these new building codes.

However, he noted, the definition of fossil fuel equipment is the determining factor of these rules, and newly manufactured B100 appliances are NOT considered fossil fuel equipment and will be acceptable under the codes.

Lacertosa then provided an update on the state’s cap-and-invest programs, noting that NYSEC Board members have been meeting with Senate and Assembly members throughout the summer to discuss cap-and-invest and other issues. “We’ve made great progress educating them about what we do, as an industry and as individual business owners. We’ve got a great sense of accomplishment with the outcomes.”

The Resolution was read aloud to the attendees. It was also distributed in printed form and was available as a PDF download. A vote by show of hands was taken, and the resolution was accepted unanimously.

The official press release announcing the ratification of the Boston Resolution and the complete “Resolution Establishing Principles For Equitable And Reliable Building Decarbonization” are printed on the following pages, and are available for download at NEFI.com. For more information, contact NEFI at www.nefi.com or call (617) 924-1000.

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