Propane Personality: Sarah Miller of GPA Midstream

Sarah Miller

President and CEO, GPA Midstream

Education

Oklahoma City University School of Law

Juris Doctorate in Law

Class of 1997

Oklahoma State University

Bachelor of Arts in English

Class of 1993

Work experience

October 2024-Present

GPA Midstream

⦁ President and CEO

June 2017-July 2024

Hall Estill

⦁ Shareholder and Director

April 2000-May 2017

The Williams Companies Inc.

⦁ Internal Counsel, Senior Vice President and General Counsel

A passion for supporting midstream

For more than 20 years, Miller has been involved with the midstream industry in some capacity. As an example, in the early 2000s, she was an in-house attorney at The Williams Companies Inc., a midstream operator.

During her 17-year tenure with Williams, she managed the midstream operations’ legal needs, including litigation, commercial transactions, construction projects, acquisitions and divestitures, and process improvement projects. Ultimately, she served as Williams’ general counsel and led its legal department. After leaving Williams in 2017, she worked at the law firm of Hall Estill, where she represented midstream clients.

“I spent a lot of time drafting and negotiating gas gathering and processing contracts, which led to even more knowledge of the midstream industry.”

A familiarity with GPA Midstream

Although Miller has recently been employed by GPA Midstream and GPSA, the association’s service and supply arm, she’s familiar with both organizations since she served as their outside legal counsel, beginning in 2019, while working at Hall Estill.

“Because of my work with Williams and midstream clients, I was already familiar with how essential the midstream industry is to the functioning of our society, the economy and the advancement of global energy strategies.”

As the organizations’ lawyer, she worked with senior leaders of midstream operators (and their suppliers) as they identified and executed strategic plans. These plans have since improved the awareness, for the public and regulators, of how the midstream industry delivers energy on demand – safely, reliably and affordably.

“I raised my hand to be GPA Midstream’s president and CEO because I have great respect for the industry and its people.”

Current responsibilities

Miller is focused on leading and supporting GPA Midstream’s staff of 10 professionals as they strive to execute strategic goals, as defined by GPA Midstream’s members. The organization’s overarching goal is to provide a voice for midstream interests.

To do so, Miller’s top priority is to ensure the midstream industry’s perspective and technical expertise are heard in Washington, D.C., especially as legislation and regulations are developed.

Revolutionizing the energy industry

According to Miller, midstream operators and suppliers are developing and deploying technologies that could revolutionize the energy industry.

“Operators are using data to make gathering and processing even cleaner, safer and more reliable. We’re seeing increased use of AI in everyday operations, especially for predictive maintenance applications, too. Companies are also working on producing and delivering hydrogen, as well as providing carbon transportation and storage solutions.”

The bottom line? American producers and operators have an opportunity to provide the energy that U.S. allies and trade partners need. “A reliable supply of energy is not only an economic issue, but a security one as well.”

An alliance with the propane industry

GPA Midstream works extensively with the National Propane Gas Association and the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC). For instance, GPA Midstream representatives serve as nine of the 21 councilors that govern PERC. Additionally, PERC supports GPA Midstream’s research and industry and consumer education efforts.

“Propane is recovered by midstream operators as a byproduct of natural gas processing. Most propane is processed and transported by GPA Midstream’s members, as the organization also defines propane specifications and performs propane research.”

A bright future

Currently, oil, gas and natural gas liquid production are at record levels. Miller believes production will continue to grow as long as policy constraints, which are slowing vital infrastructure development, are addressed.

“The future for midstream – and therefore, the propane industry – is bright.”