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APGA Members Meet with Leaders on Capitol Hill

By Joshua St.Pierre posted 16 days ago

  
Last week members of APGA’s Direct Use Committee (DUC) met in Washington, D.C., for the group’s third quarterly meeting this year. While in town, committee members took advantage of Congress’ August recess and met with several offices on Capitol Hill to educate staffers on various APGA advocacy priorities. The DUC meets quarterly both in person and virtually throughout the year. The committee aims to identify threats and opportunities for the direct use of natural gas and to develop strategies to engage and educate the public and policymakers on the benefits that direct use offers consumers and the environment. August is a great time for APGA members and staff to rise above the noise and meet with legislative staffers to share support for priorities that community-owned gas systems care about. 
 
A few of the topics that APGA members discussed with staffers on Capitol Hill include: 
• The reliability, efficiency, and affordability of the direct use of natural gas and the important role that Congress has in pushing back against efforts to force unjustified fuel-switching. Read more here. 
• Community-owned gas systems’ priorities in the reauthorization of the Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). Read more here. 
• The importance of passing legislation to grant the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) the authority to issue refunds when interstate pipelines charge community-owned gas systems unjust transmission rates. Read more about Section 5 Reform here.
 
These meetings served as a great foundation for the upcoming APGA 2025 Legislative Summit in Washington, DC this January 27-30, 2025. Mark these dates on your calendar so you can attend. You’ll hear from a group of fantastic speakers and have the option of hitting the pavement on Capitol Hill to meet with your elected officials in Congress. APGA staff is happy to coordinate scheduling and provide resources for all of your meetings on Capitol Hill.
  
If you are interested in learning more about the DUC’s work or any of the advocacy priorities above, please reach out to me. Also, consider joining the DUC or APGA’s Legislative Committee as these topics are regularly discussed among those groups.
 
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.

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