TPGA Members,
As was previously reported in the September 20th issue of the Monday Morning Messenger, I have great news!
TPGA has successfully negotiated with the Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation (TDLR), resulting in the propane industry no longer being regulated by the agency. The TDLR worked in concert with TPGA staff to determine how to remove the redundant oversight caused by a bill in the 86th legislature.
Previous to the passage of Senate Bill 2119, the Texas Department of Agriculture oversaw meter and scale regulation; however, propane was included in a bill that was focused on gasoline and diesel sales.
TPGA executive director Bill Van Hoy briefed the TPGA board of directors early in 2020 that TPGA staff would make every effort to end redundant oversight. He stated, “our industry is already heavily regulated by other agencies both by the state of Texas and federal agencies. The last thing we need is another agency overseeing what appears to already be regulated by the Texas Department of Agriculture.”
Fortunately, the TDLR staff and executive director Brian Francis agreed. What was unique about this issue is the complexity of reversing an agency from regulating an industry, the bureaucratic process is set up to add regulation, not remove it.
The details of how this process will work will be shared by TDLR in a letter and TPGA on Monday in a special TDLR regulatory report. The information will explain the timeline and what exactly this all means to you, the Texas propane retailer. It’s always gratifying to announce another win for our industry due to the efforts of TPGA, a member-driven association.
