States Protect Access to Propane Applications

In response to threats against consumer access to propane, more and more states are taking action. In April, three states – Alabama, Kansas, Mississippi – enacted new laws to safeguard consumer access to the propane-powered products they want and rely on. The Alabama and Mississippi laws create new legal protections for consumer access to gas-powered appliances in building applications, while the Kansas law preserves consumer choice for all types of motor vehicles. All three bills garnered bipartisan support in their legislatures, further evidence of the sensible nature of these proposals. These actions follow the enactment of similar end-use protections that have been passed in other states, including Florida, Montana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Tennessee.

While traditional energy choice laws protect market access for propane companies, their core focus is on ensuring energy providers retain the right to extend service to a customer. This typically involves safeguards for setting a tank and connecting a service line to a structure. However, some states are taking these protections beyond our supply infrastructure and extending them to the appliances, equipment, and engines that actually burn the molecule.

The issue of protecting consumer access to our end-use applications has gained prominence following recent federal and state actions that have sought to restrict access to various gas-powered products, including stoves, water heaters, and vehicle engines. For example, multiple states have passed laws that will prohibit the sale of new, non-electric passenger vehicles by 2035; and a Commissioner of the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission made comments last year about the Commission’s ability to ban products (i.e., gas stoves) that cannot be made safe for residential use.

NPGA will continue to support state efforts to guarantee market access for propane marketers, and ensure Americans retain the right to acquire gas appliances and propane-powered vehicles.

For more information, contact NPGA’s Director of State Affairs, Jacob Peterson.