Last month in Atlanta, the second-annual Natural Gas Readiness Forum (NGRF), organized by the American Gas Association, brought together natural gas utility leaders, regulators and industry executives from across the country to discuss natural gas system reliability, preparation for the winter and peak periods, and coordination with our counterparts in the electric industry.

The NGRF was created in response to a recommendation from National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC)’s Gas‑Electric Alignment for Reliability Task Force (GEAR) to foster communication and coordination across the gas and electric value chains. With winter ahead, having all parts of the gas and electric industries aligned is critical.

NGA was represented at the NGRF by Paul Armstrong, Vice President of Operations.

Among the major themes discussed at NGRF:

• Resilience in Extreme Events: The GEAR task force is focused on reliability and resiliency during extreme events. The Task Force emphasized cross-sector communication and coordination during these events.
• Natural Gas = Energy Security = National Security: Utility Commissioners from across the country emphasized that natural gas is vital for their states, noting that access to gas is essential for reliable power generation and heating, bringing industry into their states, and ensuring affordability for their constituents.
• Key Challenges: Key challenges discussed during the Forum included:
  • Baseload to Dispatchable: Gas is transitioning from base load generation to dispatchable generation. With the increase of renewables (wind, solar) there is more pressure on gas to quickly pick up the load when renewable generation falls off.
  • Production: Ensuring reliable production during periods of extreme cold.

For the Northeast — where winters are cold and where pipelines, LNG facilities, and trucked supply all play a role — these issues hit home directly.

NGA and Winter Preparedness

NGA has already begun ramping up our own pre-winter preparedness initiatives — like the 2025 Pre-Winter Briefing for Regulators and the formation of a Northeast-wide Gas Supply Task Force. You can learn more about these initiatives here: https://northeastgas.org/News-Details/NGA-Hosts-Annual-Pre-Winter-Briefing-for-Regulators-Stands-up-gas-Supply-Task-Force