Page 12 - PPGA Propane Post Winter

NPGA News
NPGA ADVOCACY BRIEFS
NPGA & PERC LAY FOUNDATION FOR CYLINDER STANDARDS
Last fall, representatives from NPGA, PERC, and the Executive Committee met with the Associate Administrator for Hazard- ous Materials at PHMSA, along with his staff. At issue were recent citations for illegible or unreadable markings on cylin- ders. Our team explained our efforts to enhance safety, training, and inspection, and the desire to work together to resolve this outstanding issue. We also conveyed recommendations coming out of Louisville on this issue.
PHMSA was very receptive to our concerns, and we resolved to jointly follow a path forward. NPGA and PERC will work with PHMSA to develop standards for readability and legibility on cylinders, as well as methods to protect those markings.
PHMSA, NPGA, and PERC will work together to send these standards to approved RIN and VIN holders, and to con-
duct coordinated communications outreach on the standards. Further, industry will have 24 months
from when standards are agreed to, with prog- ress reports at regular intervals delivered to
PHMSA, to develop and implement the training for these new standards, as
well as inspect cylinders before enforcement will re-commence.
NPGA SUBMITS HOURS OF SERVICE PETITION
In November, the NPGA, along with the Owner-Operator In- dependent Driver Association (OOIDA), petitioned the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to reconsider part of its Final Rule, Clarification to the Applicability of Emergency Exceptions. In that Final Rule, FMCSA stated that it could issue pre-emergency waivers of hours of service regulations when the emergency could be “reliably predicted.” NPGA and OOI- DA petitioned FMCSA to seek to add the “reliably predicted” language to the definition of “emergency” in regulations, and to define when an emergency could be reliably predicted. NPGA and OOIDA, along with other like-minded associations, plan to engage with FMCSA for a mutually agreeable resolution of our petition.
NPGA ADVOCATES FOR ENERGY CHOICE AT NARUC
Recently, NPGA spoke at the Consumer Energy Alliance panel that took place during the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ (NARUC) annual meeting in La Quinta, California. The Consumer Energy Alliance advocates in support of affordable, reliable energy for working families, senior citi- zens, and businesses across the country. The panel was attend- ed by state utility commission staff and industry partners in the oil & gas, hydrogen and renewable sectors as well.
NPGA staff discussed the importance of consumer energy choice and the role it plays in preserving a free market and en- suring that consumers retain the option to utilize our molecule. Staff also highlighted the necessity of engaging with policymak- ers not only on the state level, but also on the municipal level to ensure that the public and member companies are engaged with policymaking efforts that have the potential to immediate- ly affect them.
NARUC is the national organization representing state utility commissions from all 50 states.
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PACIFIC PROPANE GAS ASSOCIATION