Regulatory Submissions

In late January, APGA provided comments on a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposed rule on Waste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties, and Resource Conservation.

APGA’s membership is directly and indirectly affected by BLM’s proposal due to negative impacts it could have on natural gas extraction on federal leases. In the feedback provided, APGA urges BLM to ensure the final rule does not cause downstream effects, such as higher energy prices.  Also, BLM must understand that regulations such as those contained in the proposed rule are not implemented or experienced in a vacuum, so before issuing a final rule, there should be coordination with other government agencies that may be addressing similar concerns, ensuring no duplication with regulations.

Sufficient production of American resources is necessary for public gas systems to continue to provide efficient, safe, reliable, and affordable energy to their customers and support their communities, who need natural gas for cooking, clothes drying, and space and water heating, as well as for various commercial and industrial applications.

Given this rulemaking dealt specifically with the upstream sector or the natural gas industry, APGA collaborated with the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, including voicing support for their input. Both API and the Chamber of Commerce were gracious for APGA providing comments to BLM. Having the public utility voice as a part of this conversation is critica