Propane Days 2026 brings industry leaders to Washington for legislative advocacy

Propane Days delegates from the Ohio and Michigan propane gas associations met in a lobby outside a hotel ballroom in the early-morning hours of June 9, not far from Capitol Hill.

Their mission: to make final preparations before the industry’s annual visit to meet with elected officials and discuss important issues impacting the propane industry.

Derek Dalling, who heads the Michigan and Ohio propane gas associations as president and CEO of association management firm KDA, walked into the room for the pre-breakfast meeting a couple minutes past 7 a.m. He was greeted – and chided playfully – by the members already there and awaiting his direction.

“I said ‘7ish,’” he joked, regarding the meeting time.

With everyone in the room, Dalling lifted the group with reassuring words about the day ahead. In addition to members covering two key issue briefs this year and using detailed information provided by the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA), he reminded them to speak openly about their roles in the propane industry and how their work impacts the local communities. It’s a message the NPGA stresses each year to Propane Days attendees.

“We try to get people to keep it simple,” says Michael Baker, senior vice president and chief legislative officer for NPGA. “If we do nothing else, if you can just educate that member of Congress or their staff about what propane is and how it impacts their communities or their state, that’s what we want to do. Before we ask folks to become lobbyists, we ask them to talk about what they do every day – which is run their propane business.”

The days leading into the industry’s lobbying event are a constant whirlwind for those planning meetings on Capitol Hill. Dalling updated the Ohio and Michigan groups with changes to the meeting schedule while ensuring each meeting was staffed appropriately with industry members. Dalling teamed with KDA colleague Matt Solak, who leads the Indiana Propane Gas Association and the Pacific Propane Gas Association.

“Our firm scheduled appointments with every senator and nearly every representative for our propane delegations in all seven states (Alaska, Hawaii, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Oregon and Washington) that we represent,” Dalling says. “We also had to juggle changes to our schedules for almost each of those states. It is inevitable, and it is just something we are accustomed to handling as lobbyists.”

The NPGA legislative team, including Steven Dyke, Lauren Medlin and Baker, spend time at Propane Days briefing attendees on what to expect from their meetings – whether they take place with a legislator or staffer, at a conference table in a large office or in a busy hallway.

“Hallway meetings are no less impactful,” Dyke says.

In all, more than 240 Propane Days attendees descended on Capitol Hill this year for more than 275 meetings.

▶ Editor not so new anymore

I recently reached my two-year anniversary of working at LP Gas, so I guess it’s time to stop referring to myself as “the new editor.”

Shortly after my anniversary, I got on a plane to Washington, D.C. (well, technically I got on a plane to Baltimore and then on a train to D.C.) for Propane Days.

Though I’ve been with LP Gas for only two years, this was my third Propane Days event. That’s because, a mere month after starting in early May 2024, Editor-in-Chief Brian Richesson thought it made sense to throw me headfirst into the propane industry by taking me to a massive lobbying event.

And he was right.

Propane Days has become one of my favorite industry events. While it could potentially be chalked up to nostalgia or perhaps the lingering effects of the adrenaline rush of meeting hundreds of industry members so early in my career at LP Gas, Propane Days is a genuinely enjoyable event.

When Richesson and I arrived in Washington, D.C., our first stop was, of course, the hotel bar. And we were in good company, with many propane industry professionals having already made their way there. We saw a lot of faces – some familiar, some new, all friendly.

▶ From Ohio to New York to Michigan

At my first Propane Days, I followed Richesson and the Ohio group. I am an Ohio resident and constituent, having grown up in Dayton and gone to college in Cleveland, where I still live today, so it was a natural pick.

But last year, Richesson and I talked about changing it up to see how another state operated. After all, each state has its own political landscape and needs, so it would behoove us to get an additional perspective.

I volunteered to join the New York group in 2025. It was fascinating to see how different the conversations went compared to the Ohio meetings. Last year’s legislative asks were consistent with this year’s – energy choice and funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

With New York being more Democratic leaning, many of the state’s legislative staffers were tough sells when it came to the issue of energy choice. After all, New York is the site of one of the biggest attempts to ban gas in new construction, and Democratic politicians often favor policies that discriminate against fossil fuels in favor of electric or solar power.

LIHEAP, on the other hand, was a slam dunk in many meetings that day. While the program has long enjoyed broad bipartisan support, it is still considered to be more popular among Democratic legislators.

After returning home from those meetings, I wondered if I would have the opportunity to follow another state’s group the next year. And I got my answer.

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