On July 13, members of the APGA Board of Directors and the Regulatory Subcommittee met with members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in Washington, DC.  The APGA representatives that participated in the meeting included:  Ben Andrews, APGA’s treasurer and general manager of the Oak Ridge Utility District, TN; Jeff Tuttle, APGA’s 2nd vice-chair and vice president of the Gas Business Unit for CPS Energy, TX; Rich Worsinger, vice-chair of the APGA Regulatory Subcommittee and director of utilities for the City of Rocky Mount, NC; Bud Miller, APGA’s general counsel; Bert Kalisch, APGA’s president & CEO; and Dave Schryver, APGA’s executive vice president.  

During the meetings, APGA members communicated their views on FERC regulatory proceedings related to Section 5 of the Natural Gas Act, pipeline reporting requirements, FERC/CFTC jurisdiction and Smart Grid.  The participants also thanked the Commissioners for their decision to initiate Natural Gas Act Section 5 proceedings against three pipelines to determine if those pipelines are charging unjust and unreasonable rates.  APGA has pushed Congress to correct an imbalance between the manner in which electric customers are treated under the Federal Power Act and gas customers are treated under the NGA.  Specifically, APGA has pushed for the passage of legislation that stipulates when customers file a complaint with FERC under NGA Section 5; the pipeline will have to pay refunds from the date that the complaint was submitted if it is found to have been overcharging its consumers.  

APGA leadership meets with the FERC Commissioners twice a year as a means to communicate information and positions on federal regulatory matters of concern to public gas systems.  These meetings play a critical role in APGA’s advocacy efforts as they have allowed APGA to develop and maintain a relationship with the Commissioners.  If you have any questions regarding this article or on APGA’s regulatory advocacy efforts, please contact Dave Schryver of APGA’s staff by phone at 202-464-2742 or by email at dschryver@apga.org.   

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