At our annual TPGA Conference, the Railroad Commission of Texas made several announcements on changes at the Commission and provided attendees with important contact information for each section.

The Alternative Fuels Safety Department of the Railroad Commission has a new director, Karley Bisbano, Department Director. Karley has a long history within government and was a manager for the Damage Prevention & Pipeline Permitting Division before becoming the AFS Director.

AFS Director, Karley Bisbano P:512-463-6828.

–   Licensing Section

–   Compliance Section

–   Training Section

–   Field Operations Section

–   Administrative Support

•    Kevin Paris

•    Hannah Savard

•   Mackenzie Bailey

AFS Operations Supervisor – Angie Whitehead P: 512-463-7207

–   Licensing Specialists

•    Martin Benavides

•    Rosalinda Rojas

•    Rachel Grubbs 

–   Compliance Specialists

•    Begonia Guy

•    Hailey Eiland

•    Roxana Gramada

Training Manager – Mark Hood P: 512-463-3606

–   Training Coordinator – Erin Perkins

–   Training and Certification Administrator – Conrad Gonzales

–   Certification Specialist – Maurie Hebert

–  Trainers

–   Art Valladares

–   Calvin Rosenberg

–   David Vire

–   Gretchen Almind

AFS Inspector Manager – Adam Rodriguez P: 512-971-2989

 18 Districts, 1 inspector per district

Toll Free: 1-800-64-CLEAR (642-5327)

AFS Licensing, Compliance & Inspections: 512-463-6462

AFS Training: 512-463-2682

RRC Main Line: 512-463-7158

Licensing: lplicense@rrc.texas.gov

Compliance/Inspections: SafetyNoticeReply@rrc.texas.gov

Training: training-exams@rrc.texas.gov

Certification/Exemption Renewals: AFS_Card_Renewal@rrc.texas.gov

The National Propane Gas Association reports a significant legal victory: last week, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas overturned the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) ban on employment noncompete agreements. Because the Court’s decision has a nationwide effect, the ban will not go into effect as scheduled on September 4, 2024, unless there is a contrary subsequent court ruling. 

Last year the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) joined almost 300 other associations (including the Chamber of Commerce, the plaintiff in this lawsuit) representing 45 states to submit a joint comment to the Federal Trade Commission regarding their proposed rule to ban non-compete clauses. NPGA also spoke out against the rulemaking at a public listening session. The joint comment stressed the need to protect confidential business information, benefits to companies and workers, and increased wages and benefits. The comment further discussed the Federal Trade Commission’s overreach in proposing the rule. 

NPGA will monitor legal challenges and update the membership on enforcement.

Source: National Propane Gas Association

Heat is the leading cause of death among all hazardous weather conditions in the workplace in the United States. Excessive heat can cause a number of adverse health effects, including heat stroke and even death, if not treated properly.

This summer, OSHA is issuing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for Heat Injury & Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings.

Requirements for Employers:

• Heat Injury and Illness Prevention Plan (HIIPP):
• Develop and implement a site-specific plan to evaluate and control heat hazards.
• Identify Heat Hazards:
• Outdoor: Monitor heat conditions via local forecasts or measurements.
• Indoor: Identify areas with potential hazardous heat, develop a monitoring plan, and seek employee input.
• Control Measures at Initial Heat Trigger (80°F):
• Provide cool drinking water, cooling break areas, indoor controls, acclimatization protocols, paid rest breaks, and effective communication.
• Control Measures at High Heat Trigger (90°F):
• Mandatory 15-minute rest breaks every two hours, observe for heat illness symptoms, issue hazard alerts, and post warning signs in areas exceeding 120°F.

Additional Requirements:

• Respond to heat-related illness signs and develop an emergency response plan.
• Provide initial and annual training, plus supplemental training as needed.
• Maintain records of indoor monitoring data for at least six months.
• Ensure all requirements are at no cost to employees.

TPGA will keep members abreast of any advancements in this rulemaking.

Photograph of a previous issue

This autumn, the Propane Council of Texas (ProCOT) will mail our Fall/Winter 2024 Propane Living newsletter to marketer-subscribed propane consumers all over Texas.

ProCOT invites you to subscribe your Texas propane customers to the biannual Propane Living newsletter.

The Fall/Winter issue will include seasonal propane reminders and more.

The Cost to Participate. For 2024, propane provider participants are responsible for a $40 fulfillment fee per season. Additionally, there is a fee of less than 5 cents per address/newsletter to imprint their company name and customer’s address on the newsletter. 

ProCOT covers the printing, postage, and shipping costs for sending the newsletter to your Texas customers, making it affordable for propane providers.

Sign up to get the Fall/Winter 2024 issue to your propane customers. 

Register and upload your mailing lists by clicking on the button below.

The fall/winter subscription deadline is September 20, 2024

Already a subscriber? Current perpetual newsletter subscribers, please email updated mailing lists to info@propanecounciloftexas.org by the deadline mentioned above. 

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Monday, September 9, 2024

Annual Pros4Care Golf Benefit

The Courses at Watters Creek Plano, TX