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How new regulations, climate-change issues will affect the propane industry

January 12, 2016 By    

epa-logoIf you’ve heard of the Clean Power Plan, you might have glossed over the details to save yourself from reading about more federal government regulations. We all know the propane industry deals with its fair share.

But out of this controversial plan released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last summer comes an opportunity for propane.

The National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) created a four-page overview of the plan, describing how it pertains to the propane industry. It’s also sharing this information with your state association so its executives and leaders can proclaim propane’s benefits to state governments.

Without inundating you with too much regulatory speak, each state must develop a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants. EPA’s plan is designed to cut carbon dioxide emissions from existing plants by 32 percent below 2005 levels over the next 15 years.

The national association is asking each state association to share propane’s direct uses with state officials. Of course, those uses include heating homes and water, drying clothes and grain, and cooking, among other applications. States can work toward their emissions goals by using clean, energy-efficient propane instead of electricity, which is derived from coal and loses energy content while emanating from its source.

“It’s very clear our state associations have to be the ones to go to their air and energy regulators and say, ‘Here’s what we can do for you,’” says Jeff Petrash, vice president and general counsel at NPGA.

That industry push includes awareness about propane combined heat and power systems (CHP), which generate heat and electricity with higher efficiency and lower emissions levels than conventional methods.

Propane’s attributes as a clean, domestic, reliable and economical fuel aren’t shared often enough with policymakers and consumers, Petrash says. The Clean Power Plan provides the industry an opportunity to disseminate those messages that aren’t heard often enough and, in the process, do a little educating about propane.

Now, the EPA rule has come under attack, and some doubts remain about whether it will stand the test of time. Where the plan goes doesn’t really matter, Petrash says, because the real story here is about propane.

“Frankly, what we’re promoting here is a good idea across the board,” he says. “Americans are concerned about climate change, and this also provides an opportunity to those customers who are concerned about greenhouse gas emissions. It’s a selling point for propane. You tell them, ‘If you’re concerned about greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, swap out your electric water heater for a propane water heater and you reduce your carbon footprint.’”

New in 2016

Happy New Year. Our first edition of 2016 includes some updates and features worth mentioning.

  • Our propane industry travels take us to notable places, where we see notable faces. Each month we’ll share with you the photos that haven’t yet made our pages but are still worth seeing. We dust off some of those prints in Photo Drop.
  • We’ve listened to our readers, who requested more information about the more technical issues propane retailers face in the field. This month, we introduce our new Service and Maintenance column, written by Ryan Card, the service manager at D.F. Richard Energy in Dover, N.H. Our first column focuses on leak detection. Let us know what other key topics we should cover here.
  • LP Gas magazine celebrates 75 years of publishing this year. To honor that milestone, we’re going back to our roots throughout 2016 and writing about the relevant topics appearing on our pages in 1941. What type of technology was taking shape back then? We’ve got it covered.
  • I want to thank Joe Rose, president of the Propane Gas Association of New England, and Daryl McClendon of DFM Enterprises for their feedback over the years as members of our Editorial Advisory Board. Stepping into those spots in 2016 are Greg Noll, executive vice president of the Propane Marketers Association of Kansas, and Jaime Alberti of Hilco Transport.

About the Author:

Brian Richesson is the editor in chief of LP Gas Magazine. Contact him at brichesson@northcoastmedia.net or 216-706-3748.

1 Comment on "How new regulations, climate-change issues will affect the propane industry"

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  1. alan killoran says:

    I need information on water quality for the installation of on demand water heaters.