Blogs

APGA Requesting Federal Relief for Municipal Utilities in Wake of Soaring Gas Prices

By Renée Lani posted 02-18-2021 12:27 PM

  
Over President’s Day weekend, winter storm Uri brought snow, ice, and below freezing temperatures to the majority of the country, including many southern states not typically accustomed to such weather. During this time of sustained and widespread low temperatures, natural gas prices skyrocketed to $250-999/MMBtu, forcing many systems to spend much more than their buying powers to maintain critical access to gas for customers.

APGA is currently working with members to determine cost impacts to systems and communities. Many states have already begun taking actions, such as declaring a state of emergency. Concurrently, APGA is working with agencies at the federal level such as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Department of Energy (DOE), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as well as Congress and the President, to help secure relief for municipal utilities and their customers across the impacted areas.

APGA remains a resource for members. Please do not hesitate to contact APGA with questions or to share experiences, as information is collected to demonstrate the severity of these high prices and anticipated impacts to systems and communities that will be left to foot the bill without appropriate relief in the wake of this natural disaster.

For questions on this article, please contact Renée Lani of APGA staff by phone at 202-464-0836 or by email at rlani@apga.org.

Permalink