How Contact with Legislators Can Benefit Propane Companies

A visit from a U.S. Congresswoman to the offices of Ted Johnson Propane (Baldwin Park, Calif.) on Aug. 25 was a great example of how propane marketers’ engagement with their legislators can result in positive attention to the issues that they face in their daily operations.

Rep. Grace Napolitano and her field representative Bob Pence met with Ted Johnson Propane owner Julie Johnson and operations manager John Weigel, along with Johnson’s daughter Alexandria Cesena and Western Propane Gas Association president Joy Alafia.

Alafia provided educational materials about propane to Rep. Napolitano, and Johnson showed her a copy of the magazine that her company put together in commemoration of Ted Johnson Propane’s 50th anniversary last year, which highlighted “50 Innovative Uses of Propane.”

The meeting became more lively when Johnson told Rep. Napolitano about a violation ticket her company received from the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The ticket, which carries a $300 fine, stated that a Ted Johnson bobtail driver was sitting in his bobtail while letting its engine idle for more than five minutes, which is against ARB regulations. However, wording on the ticket also stated that the Ted Johnson driver was “not available.” Johnson explained to the Congresswoman that the driver was sitting in his vehicle with the air conditioning on while having lunch, but the inspector who wrote the ticket did not get out of his vehicle to give the ticket, probably because of the heat, Johnson speculated.

“The guy was too lazy to get out of his car or truck, but he’s not too lazy to write the ticket,” Johnson said. “My point was it was so hot that he wouldn’t even get out of the truck.”

After hearing the story, the Congresswoman picked up the phone during her meeting at the Ted Johnson office and called ARB, asking to speak to Mary Nichols, chair of ARB. Rep. Napolitano identified herself as a congresswoman, but the person who answered the phone at the ARB office said Nichols was unavailable. Rep. Napolitano asked to speak to the supervisor at the office and was told the supervisor would call her back. Johnson and Weigel agreed that the phone call was a good way for the Congresswoman to see the different hoops that a propane company must jump through to get answers on regulatory issues.

Johnson said on Sept. 8 that she had not heard if Rep. Napolitano ever received a return call. Pence, Rep. Napolitano’s field representative, told Johnson he would follow up on the issue.

The idea for the meeting was the result of Johnson attending Propane Days in 2015. She and Cesena met with Rep. Napolitano’s legislative assistant Joseph Ciccone during the annual gathering. As a result of that meeting, Rep. Napolitano joined the Congressional Propane Caucus, a bipartisan forum formed in 2015 to engage members of Congress, their staffs, and the public on issues of importance to propane consumers and the propane industry. Ciccone told Johnson the Congresswoman liked to conduct on-site visits to businesses. The on-site visit to Ted Johnson Propane was postponed after the Congresswoman experienced health issues earlier this year, but upon her recovery, the meeting finally took place.

“We wanted to thank her for being part of the propane caucus,” Johnson noted. Toward the end of the meeting at the Ted Johnson Propane facility, Rep. Napolitano said the gathering was helpful and that she learned that propane is a less-polluting fuel than gasoline. “But the propane industry is not recognized as an industry that can help,” she said. “You need to make noise on that side and publicize it to the public.” She suggested that Johnson work with local representatives and councils of government for help with regulatory issues. She also recommended that Johnson submit op-ed or opinion pieces to local newspapers about issues important to local businesses.

Following the meeting, Rep. Napolitano, Johnson, Pence, and Alafia held a more informal discussion during lunch. Johnson is involved in a women’s CEO group through California State University Fullerton, and Rep. Napolitano agreed to speak to the group at a later date. “She’s interested in empowering women,” Johnson said. “My biggest takeaway is she said, ‘Stay in touch.’ I think that’s awesome.”

In other areas of the country, propane marketers also recently held gatherings with their legislators. The Iowa Propane Gas Association (IPGA) met with four different Congress members at four separate events. Deb Grooms, executive director of IPGA, said her association did not get a chance to go to Propane Days in Washington, D.C. this year because it took place at the same time as the North Central Convention, so the group decided to hold Congressional meetings in Iowa. The first meeting with U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack took place in Sully at Key Cooperative. The propane group showed Loebsack some propane vehicles, and gave him a ride on a propane school bus to Key Cooperative’s propane dispensing unit, where he was shown how the school bus was filled.

The second meeting was with U.S. Rep. David Young at the IPGA office, where he and the group discussed propane issues. Todd Pellett of Pelgas Inc. brought a Freightliner S2G bobtail, and the event included a school bus from Interstate 35 School District, a pickup truck from Jon Wicks of Growmark, a van from Terry Davis at Country Propane, and a bi-fuel pickup truck from Terress Farnham of Zebulon Industries. “[Young] started the vehicles and could see how quiet they are compared to other vehicles,” Grooms reported. Other association members in attendance included Chris Behrens of Farm Service Co. and president of IPGA; Jay Christie of New Century FS and vice president of IPGA; Greg Howard of Ferrellgas and treasurer of IPGA; Rick Eggermont of Ferrellgas; Kent Schroff of Agriland FS, and a representative of the Iowa Pupil Transportation Association and two representatives of School Bus Sales Inc.

The third Iowa meeting was at AgVantage FS in Waverly with U.S. Rep. Rod Blum, who also brought his wife to the event. “It was a rainy day, so we didn’t do as much as we thought we would, but he rode on a school bus, and they actually went to the school where they have a propane dispenser, and we demonstrated how to fill the tank,” Grooms said.

At the fourth meeting, U.S. Rep. Steve King visited with IPGA members at the NuStar pipeline. “We took a tour of the pipeline, and relived the winter of 2013-2014 and how much better the Midwest is doing as far as getting rail and storage, so it was a great event,” Grooms noted. “We had a lot of members from that area. Normally when we go to D.C., we might get 10 to 15 minutes. Here we got anywhere from one to two hours with our Congressmen. A lot of our members don’t have the time to go to D.C., and it’s costly to go out there. This is a great opportunity for them to visit with them one on one.”

“I enjoyed touring the CHS Propane Terminal in Rock Rapids that recently expanded to increase the availability and dependability of propane supply in the Upper Midwest,” Rep. King stated. “The propane supply chain is important to both the home heating and the crop drying needs of rural Iowa, and it was great learning more about the process.”

In Illinois, Congressman John Shimkus met in August with local propane business leaders and toured a full-service South Central FS facility. The tour focused on key points in propane transportation and distribution infrastructure, including pipeline transportation and bulk storage needs.

Rep. Shimkus was joined by Flora, Ill. mayor Bob Tackitt; Flora economic development director Dan Sulsberger; South Central FS Energy marketing manager Gerald Witges; South Central FS-certified propane specialist Ron Kaufman; and other city and company representatives.

More than 50 propane facilities and 30 propane companies service Rep. Shimkus’ congressional district, including South Central FS and Southern FS.

Aaron DeWeese, executive vice president of the Illinois Propane Gas Association, said “Congressman Shimkus has been a tremendous advocate for Illinois consumers and businesses. The propane industry contributes more than $1.5 billion to the state’s economy, and we are looking forward to continuing our work with Congressman Shimkus and his colleagues to continue to grow and strengthen the industry.”

During the tour, Shimkus noted the critical role propane plays in the state’s economy, specifically in the agriculture and residential heating sectors. Nearly 50 million gallons of propane are used every year for agricultural purposes and 200,000 Illinois homes rely on propane for home heating.

“Congressman Shimkus saw first-hand how propane is driving the state and local economy,” said Witges of South Central FS. “Propane has a lot of exciting applications beyond the farm and furnace. It’s also the world’s leading alternative vehicle fuel, and the third most common vehicle fuel in the U.S.” —Daryl Lubinsky