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APGA Staff Participate in National Clean Energy Week

By Joshua St.Pierre posted 14 days ago

  
This week, the Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES) hosted the annual National Clean Energy Week Policymakers Symposium. The event is designed to convene elected officials, business leaders, advocates, policymakers, and trade associations from all perspectives who are dedicated to advancing sustainable energy goals. APGA staff attended and participated in several sessions with lawmakers and other industry leaders on topics important to public gas systems like energy permitting reform and tax policy. Opportunities to engage directly with energy leaders in Congress and the Administration help inform APGA’s advocacy efforts and ensure that policymakers know that APGA can serve as a resource. 
 
At the event, industry leaders and lawmakers discussed the potential for a tax package either at the end of this year or at the beginning of 2025. This comes as many of the current incentives and programs included in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act are set to expire in December. Panelists encouraged those with interests in this debate to ensure that they are communicating the positive economic impacts of their priorities with policymakers clearly and as soon as possible. There is a lot on the menu for legislators to work through. APGA staff will continue to educate members of Congress on the importance of tax policy that enables public gas systems to invest in their infrastructure, like tax-exempt financing, and tax incentives that support industries that benefit from affordable, reliable, efficient natural gas, like the Alternative Fuels Tax Credit.
 
Attendees also heard from several different panelists on the progress that is being made in Congress to address energy permitting challenges. Natural gas industry leaders shared that it is going to be impossible to meet growing energy demands without permitting reform. As 95% of APGA members are captive to one pipeline, concerns about pipeline capacity constraints and the need for additional pipeline infrastructure are particularly significant to public gas systems. Check out APGA’s letter to leaders in Congress on the importance of passing bipartisan energy permitting reform legislation, here.
 
You can read more about National Clean Energy Week and even watch videos of the sessions, here. 
 
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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