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report from npga state director
by: Mark Denton
PGA hosted its Annual Meeting, Summer top federal legislative
Board of Directors Meeting, and Propane policy initiatives and
Days in Washington, DC, June 2-5, 2024. Tyler Levins, a Congres-
NBusiness included Committee and Section sional staffer for Rep.
meetings; policy discussions; a presentation on the up- Julia Letlow (R-LA), pro-
coming election year; a propane bus panel discussion; vided general guidance
a PropanePAC event; and much more. Outgoing Chair on holding successful
Jeff Stewart passed the gavel to Tom Van Buren, the meetings with Members
new Chair of the Board of Directors. of Congress. NPGA mem-
bers and staff met with
Here are some of the key updates from the meetings:
over 220 offices across
Marketers Section the House and Senate.
Marketers Section Chair Daniel Dixon wel- The successful day concluded with a reception on
comed the incoming Chair, Brian Brooks, of Brooks Capitol Hill with Members of Congress and their staff
Gas and Vice Chair Ray Galan of Ferrellgas to their in attendance.
new positions. Tucker Perkins, President and CEO of PropanePAC
PERC, spoke about the opportunities and challeng-
es the propane industry faces and emphasized the PropanePAC hosted a well-attended reception
importance of safety and training. The Marketers honoring its donors at President Lincoln’s Cottage
Section held in-person regional district breakout where guests enjoyed a tour of the President’s historic
meetings grouped together by geography as well as summer home.
similarities in legislative and regulatory challenges. The PropanePAC also hosted an engaging
District 5 Director, Tom Jaenicke, provided a highlight Propane, Politics, & Coffee event with Scott Tranter,
summary of the breakout sessions. Director of Data Science at Decision Desk HQ. Trant-
er presented an engaging overview of the upcoming
Director of Regulatory Affairs and Associate Presidential election and other key races using in-
General Counsel Kate Gaziano moderated a lively formation from real-time race calls and polling data.
panel discussion on propane buses and Autogas. Kate Tranter offered potential scenarios of election results
highlighted several key federal grant opportunities, and then discussed the possible effects on the pro-
including the EPA Clean School Bus Program, the FTA pane industry, citing which outcomes would be most
program, and the DERA Program. She also shared favorable. By studying the Presidential, House, and
propane’s success in the most recent round of the Senate races, Decision Desk HQ election forecasting
EPA’s Clean School Bus funding. The four panelists allows marketers a look into how regulatory standards
provided additional information:
and the legislative landscape may change after this
Todd Mouw, EVP of Roush CleanTech, shared year’s election.
resources on supplying propane buses; Scott Under-
wood of Altogas, Michigan Autogas Chairman and Outgoing PAC Steering Committee Chair
MPGA President, discussed Autogas and working Stephanie Hennen of Lakes Gas welcomed Andrew
with localities in Michigan; John Philips, President of Vogl of Ray Murray Inc. as the new Steering Commit-
Phillips Energy, discussed Autogas infrastructure and tee Chair for the upcoming year.
customer relationships; and Brad Blair of the Illinois Policy Discussions
PGA shared how Township, IL successfully converted NPGA General Counsel Benjamin Nussdorf
a substantial portion of their municipal diesel fleet to conducted a fireside chat with former FMCSA Deputy
propane. Administrator and Chief Counsel Earl Adams. The con-
Propane Days – Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill versation touched on a number of subjects, includ-
ing regional Hours of Service Waivers and the ELDT
Before heading to Capitol Hill NPGA staffers
Michael Baker and Rhett Johnson reviewed NPGA’s Program. Mr. Adams provided insight on how FMCSA
evaluates requests for Hours of Service Waivers, and

10 Alabama Propane Gas Association | July / August 2024