On June 12, APGA staff presented to the Ohio Gas Association (OGA). Given APGA’s involvement in federal regulatory and legislative efforts, the group appreciated the update that was provided. More importantly, the conversation identified that both OGA and APGA have aligned policy goals, so there was discussion on how to work together to ensure policymakers know Ohioans want access to efficient, affordable, and reliable energy, and there are opportunities to collaborate. APGA was pleased to see a member, Lancaster Municipal Gas Department, in attendance at this event.
APGA shared that with the elections in November, a lot of the talk on Capitol Hill will be very partisan. Mostly, Senators and Representatives will be trying to make a case to re-elect them or elect members of their party to give them the majority in a particular chamber. This usually means they won’t take votes on legislation.
There was also discussion of regulatory efforts from President Biden’s Administration, which are also likely to slow down for the rest of this year. Since the election is a few months away, the Administration is wary of finalizing regulations that could be overturned if there is a Republican President and Republican control of the Senate and House of Representatives. The courts will be busy the rest of this year, though, and APGA staff shared an update on their efforts to challenge the Department of Energy’s (DOE) furnace rule.
APGA shared how OGA can inform policymakers of the negative impacts of regulations and legislation. Opportunities are available for this group to comment, just like there are for APGA, on burdensome regulation. As well, law makers on Capitol Hill want to hear from OGA members, so having meetings in DC or in the state was encouraged. The Ohio Attorney General (AG) has engaged on challenges to DOE appliance efficiency rulemakings, including most recently opposing the cooking products direct final rule. APGA encouraged OGA to continue to appropriately support the AG’s office in holding the federal government accountable.
APGA staff believes it is valuable to be a part of these types of events and will continue to do so. If you are interested in having APGA staff present, please contact APGA. To learn more about OGA, click here.
For questions on this article, please contact Stuart Saulters of APGA staff by phone at 202-544-1334 or by email at ssaulters@apga.org.