NPGA Steps Up to Expedite Fuel Deliveries, Provide Relief

News
The National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) this month was stepping up efforts to identify and imple­ment measures and policies to expedite propane ship­ments as much of the nation continues to struggle under a scenario of crimped supplies, transportation constraints, and spiraling prices.

NPGA on Jan. 21 sent a letter to the Associa­tion of Oil Pipe Lines (AOPL) alerting it to the issues and urging AOPL to notify its member companies. Rick Roldan, president and CEO of NPGA, advised AOPL president and CEO Andrew Black of the seriousness of the situation. “I have no doubt that you appreciate the need for your members and ours to work together to meet essential needs in this winter season,” Roldan wrote. “I would respectively urge you to notify your member companies of the situation and urge them to do their utmost to expedite propane shipments on their systems.”

On Jan. 14, NPGA received a reply from Asso­ciation of American Railroads (AAR) president Ed Hamberger in response to a request for his assistance to expedite propane shipments. “I have reached out to the lead commercial officers at the seven Class I railroads and more than 170 short lines that are members,” read Ham­berger’s reply. “I’ve asked that they raise internal aware­ness of service opportunities involving your members.”

Earlier this month, NPGA contacted U.S. Sec­retary of Transportation Anthony Foxx, requesting his intervention in the form of a regional hours-of-service (HOS) waiver. The letter was also sent to a number of energy officials, including Department of Energy secre­tary Ernest Moniz, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Admin­istration (FMCSA) administrator Anne Ferro, and several members of Congress.

FMCSA subsequently issued a regional HOS waiver for the Midwestern Service Center. The states covered are Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin. On the heels of that declaration came a second waiver for the Eastern Service Center covering the states of Con­necticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, and West Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia.

OUR DIGITAL PARTNERS