In response to the severe winter weather and resulting high gas prices the central U.S. experienced over President’s Day weekend, APGA took action by sending letters to the President, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and the Department of Energy (DOE).
On February 19, APGA sent a letter with the American Public Power Association (APPA) to FERC and DOE requesting an immediate investigation into the dramatic increases in the spot price of natural gas. APGA also joined APPA in a letter to President Biden calling for him to use the Natural Gas Policy Act (NGPA) to declare a natural gas supply emergency and to authorize the Secretary of Energy to exercise delegated authority under section 302 of the act to cap the price for purchases of natural gas from producers of natural gas or other persons to the extent authorized by the NGPA.
Additionally, APGA also sent a separate letter to the President requesting that he issue a Major Disaster Declaration for all impacted regions of the country so that federal funding can be made available to assist public natural gas systems and their customers in the payments made for natural gas supply prices during this crisis.
APGA remains a resource for our members, and staff is also exploring potential options for legislative relief. Please do not hesitate to reach out to APGA with questions or to share experiences as APGA is still collecting anecdotes to ensure all actions can be taken to best support members and their communities.
The APGA-APPA letter to FERC-DOE can be found
here and the one to President Biden can be found
here. Additionally, the APGA letter to President Biden can be found
here.
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.