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NPGA corner

NPGA Responds to President’s Executive Order on
State Energy Overreach

In April, the White House issued a new Exec-
utive Order, “Protecting American Energy from State
Overreach.” The Executive Order instructs the U.S.
Attorney General to identify state and local laws, reg-
ulations, and policies that burden the production and
use of domestic energy resources, such as propane,
and are unconstitutional, preempted by Federal law,
or otherwise unenforceable.

In response to this White House directive,
NPGA has compiled an extensive list of state and
local actions for the Attorney General to review and expedited emergency permitting from the U.S. Army
consider challenging. In all, NPGA identified 139 po- Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection
tentially illegal laws, regulations, ordinances, policies, Agency. NPGA, MPGA and WPGA have supported litiga-
executive orders, and actions across 28 states and tion supporting Line 5. For questions or supplemental
the District of Columbia that disincentivize the use of information, please contact Director of Regulatory
American propane and create an environment hostile Affairs and Associate General Counsel Kate Gaziano.■
to future industry investment. Direct-Use of Propane is Clean and Efficient
Steve Kaminski, NPGA’s President & Chief Recently released data from the U.S. Energy
Executive Officer, has spearheaded the Association’s Information Administration show that, in 2024, approx-
response to President Trump’s Executive Order. imately 33.48 quadrillion (quads) units of energy were
“NPGA applauds President Trump for his commitment consumed to produce only 15.41 quads of electricity.
to unleash American energy and for recognizing that In other words, 18.07 quadrillion Btus of energy –
numerous states and municipalities have illegally more than half of the total energy inputted – was lost.
overstepped Federal law in pursuing their anti-gas Most of this energy was lost, as heat, at electric power
ambitions,” stated Kaminski. “Vigorous application plants, with additional losses occurring during the
of the legal system, including by the U.S. Attorney movement of electrons on transmission and distri-
General’s office, is sorely needed to ensure that state bution lines from a generation plant to an electrical
and local rules do not violate Federal law protecting outlet. The inherent inefficiencies in the production of
energy neutrality. NPGA has provided the Attorney electricity at thermal power plants means that produc-
General a road map to achieve the President’s goal ers must burn more fuel to compensate for the ener-
and has offered NPGA’s unwavering assistance in gy that is wasted. As a result, additional greenhouse
achieving it.” For more information, contact NPGA’s gases, like carbon dioxide, and criteria air pollutants,
Senior Director of State Affairs, Jacob Peterson.■ such as sulfur dioxide, are released into the air and
Army Corps Fast-Tracks Line 5 Tunnel Review atmosphere. This is bad for air quality and the climate.
Furthermore, utility-scale electricity produc-
On Wednesday, April 16, 2025, the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers decided to fast-track permits for tion is also very water-intensive due to the demand for
building a protective tunnel around the Enbridge oil cooling water to condense steam at thermal plants.
pipeline that runs beneath a channel connecting two In 2021, for example, more than 47 trillion gallons of
Great Lakes. Obtaining these permits is one of the final water were used by the U.S. electric power sector. In
steps in securing Line 5. The move comes after Presi- contrast to the bulk electric grid, the direct-use of
dent Donald Trump issued an executive order in Janu- propane remains a clean and very efficient way to con-
ary declaring that the U.S. has become too dependent sume energy, especially from energy-intensive building
on foreign energy sources and mandates that federal applicationslike space and water heating. Contact NP-
GA’s Senior Director of State Affairs, Jacob Peterson.■
agencies identify energy infrastructure projects for

34 Alabama Propane Gas Association | May / June 2025