Beginning on January 29, more than 80 APGA members attended the 2024 Board & Committee Meetings and APGA Legislative Summit in Washington, D.C. APGA members that made the trip participated in over 65 meetings with congressional offices on Capitol Hill. These meetings occurred during the Legislative Summit. Among other topics addressed with their legislators, public gas representatives reiterated their support for legislation that will preserve the direct use of natural gas and encouraged members of Congress and their staffers to join as cosponsors on forthcoming legislation that would reform Section 5 of the Natural Gas Act (NGA). We are happy to report that many of these conversations have already spurred interest amongst offices on Capitol Hill with requests to further engage on APGA’s advocacy priorities. Because of APGA members’ advocacy last week, we are already seeing an impact, such as:
- Interest from congressional offices in cosponsoring Section 5 reform legislation
- Several follow-up meetings scheduled to continue conversations on topics like PHMSA Reauthorization and Appliance Efficiency policy
- Planned APGA member site visits for later in the year
- Bipartisan, vocal support for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
- Requests for additional resources on APGA’s advocacy priorities
APGA members are still in the process of following up with congressional staffers after their meetings and the above list continues to grow.
In between meetings on Capitol Hill, attendees of the summit heard from the Chief Policy Officer at the American Clean Power Association, Frank Macchiarola, and the Conservation & Energy Center Director at the Independent Women’s Forum, Gabriella Hoffman. Both speakers shared important information about the work they are doing to progress all-of-the-above energy solutions and encouraged APGA members to keep using their voices to advocate for their utilities. “Advocacy is a year-long activity” was a theme throughout all of the Legislative Summit programming. The presenters stressed the importance of continuing to communicate with elected officials throughout the year and using trade association partners, like APGA staff, as a resource.
Check out APGA’s social media pages to see photos and posts of public utility representatives on Capitol Hill! APGA’s social media accounts can be found at Linkedin, Twitter/X, and Facebook.
For questions on this article, please contact Joshua St.Pierre of APGA staff by phone at 202-407-0015 or by email at jstpierre@apga.org.