Propane Caucus Formed to Address Delivery Infrastructure

“I am pleased to join my colleague, congressman Walz, in leading this effort in the House,” said Latta, co-chairman of the Propane Caucus. “Thanks to an increase in domestic production and the development of shale formations across the country—including the Utica/Point Pleasant formation in my home state of Ohio—Americans are blessed with an abundance of this essential resource. Propane is vital to our everyday lives; it heats our homes, aids in the production of our farms, and is increasingly being used as an alternative, clean-burning fuel for transportation. I am pleased to start this caucus in order to educate fellow members of Congress on the many uses of propane, its importance to the constituents we serve, and the issues both the industry and its consumers face.”

In a letter to Congress, Latta noted that propane is an abundant, clean-burning domestic fuel that is a key component in America’s energy portfolio. Propane contributes $38.7 billion to America’s GDP and provides nearly 50,000 domestic jobs. Furthermore, more than 50 million Americans choose propane as their energy source in an array of applications. Among them: residential and commercial space heating (furnaces, boilers, and gas logs), water heating, cooking, clothes drying, and grilling. Farm use includes irrigation pumps, grain dryers, standby generators, and other agricultural equipment. Propane is also used as an alternative fuel for school buses, delivery vans, pickup trucks, law enforcement vehicles, and forklifts. Globally, propane autogas is the third most prevalent vehicle fuel, and there are about 150,000 autogas vehicles in the U.S. Finally, propane is used for industrial space heating and process applications.

“I’m proud to lead this caucus with Rep. Latta,” added Walz, caucus co-chairman. “Propane is essential for hundreds of thousands of Minnesota families, not only to heat their homes during the long, cold winter, but also for cooking, laundry, and farming. It is imperative that we do everything in our power to protect families and local businesses from facing the price shocks we witnessed in the winter of 2014 when a lack of supply put peoples’ lives and livelihoods at risk.”

The caucus co-chairman commented that recent developments in the energy sector have generated a strong domestic propane supply that is projected to remain plentiful for the foreseeable future. However, challenges exist to ensure Americans have an adequate supply of propane when they need it. The Congressional Propane Caucus is designed to focus on these challenges so that Congress can ensure propane continues to serve American consumers in a consistent, reliable, and affordable manner.

“Propane users are in almost every congressional district in the United States,” said Rick Roldan, president and CEO of the National Propane Gas Association. “The Congressional Propane Caucus provides a dedicated group of legislators committed to addressing the infrastructure challenges facing these constituents. I’m looking forward to working with this distinguished group and ensuring that consumers can continue to rely on propane for their energy needs.”