NPGA meeting notebook: bobtail rodeo, midstream panel and more

The National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) held its fall committee and board meetings in Dallas, featuring a variety of discussions and updates on the industry. LP Gas attended and heard about these topics and more.

• NPGA is planning a Bobtail Rodeo National Championship to highlight the professionalism and skill the industry’s drivers possess in communities across the country. Winners of state, regional and company competitions in 2027 will advance to a 2028 championship event in Nashville, Tennessee, where NPGA will crown a champion. NPGA created a resource guide for those holding local qualifying rodeos in 2027. It’s available for download on its website.
• GPA Midstream President and CEO Sarah Miller moderated a panel of midstream leaders, who explained some of the processes involved in taking the propane molecule from production to market. Notable datapoints: About 2.4 million barrels of propane is produced daily from natural gas processing in the U.S., another 400,000 bpd from refining. About one-third of that total is consumed domestically, the rest destined for export markets.
• Meetings highlighted the ongoing legislative and regulatory issues at both the state and federal levels. Association leaders addressed the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act, the Railway Safety Act, EPCA reform and opportunities and challenges at the state level. The industry is also watching the November midterm elections closely. Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, answered questions from NPGA’s Lauren Medlin on the final day of meetings.
• Oct. 7 was National Propane Day, and the NPGA’s Young Professionals Council (YPC) held its annual Day of Service across five cities this year. Partnering with Operation BBQ Relief, the group served meals to police officers, firefighters and other first responders in St. Paul, Minnesota; Tampa, Florida; Raleigh, North Carolina; Kansas City, Missouri; and Dallas. The council raised $20,000 ahead of the event.

Safety presentation

At the NPGA fall meetings, Chris Wagner, vice president of codes, standards and safety, presented on how to have “real safety moments” with customers.

He says propane marketers should not shy away from addressing the important points about propane out of fear they might scare customers.

“We want consumers to be more focused and know what decisions to make,” Wagner says. Marketers should share the available safety resources with their customers and have those “real” conversations, he adds.

Wagner shared common beliefs that can inhibit important conversations around propane safety. These phrases include:

• “Propane is safe and reliable – why say more?”
• “My customers already know what they need to know.”
• “I do not want to scare my customers.”
• “Well, I handed them the warning materials.”
• “People do what they do and you can’t [change their behaviors].”

Retailers need to be able to speak with their customers and make sure they understand how to be as safe as possible. Sometimes that involves initiating difficult or uncomfortable conversations, but those are often the most important conversations to have.

To help with these conversations, Wagner recommends that retailers give a copy of the Propane Education & Research Council’s Residential and Commercial Safety Guidelines to all of their employees.

Additionally, Wagner recommends that propane retailers decide on what “minimum talking points” to share with their customers. Some possible points that retailers can consider include:

• Recognizing a leak
• What to do in a suspected leak
• Information about carbon monoxide and the importance of detectors
• The importance of maintenance by a qualified service provider
• Do-it-yourself or odor dismissal avoidance

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