As you may already know, this is the last print issue of American Gas magazine. We are currently developing new platforms for advocating for America’s natural gas utilities and highlighting the great work that you do. Please send your email address to AmericanGas@aga.org to be part of the new effort, and spread the word to your friends and colleagues, too!
The first issue of American Gas Association Monthly was published in 1919 to provide member company employees and interested industry professionals with information that would help enhance their effectiveness and that of their companies. In the past century, AGA chairs, presidents of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, members of Congress and presidents of the United States have graced the cover of what we now call American Gas as we have sought to bring you in-depth coverage of issues of importance to our industry.
You are on the front lines of serving customers, enhancing safety, investing in innovation, navigating emerging economic and regulatory trends, and building a workforce that can do all of these things and more. We have truly enjoyed telling your stories in these pages. It is the most quintessential AGA function: sharing our best practices and celebrating achievements that benefit our customers and our country. That journey does not end today. AGA will continue to tell your stories in new and exciting ways, and we will expand our reach to audiences outside of our natural gas community. Stay tuned as we reinvent a digital American Gas experience that will come straight to your inbox next year.
I can think of no better person to lead us into this new era than Scott Prochazka, chair of the AGA Board of Directors for 2020. Scott is president and CEO of CenterPoint Energy, an energy delivery company headquartered in Houston, with regulated utility businesses in eight states and a competitive energy businesses footprint in nearly 40 states. Through its natural gas distribution business, CenterPoint serves 4.5 million homes and businesses in Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas. Scott is profiled in our cover story this month, where he shares his vision for natural gas as “a key part of the solution for everything from reliable energy to climate change.” Scott is a recognized leader in our industry, and his guidance of our Board of Directors will be crucial as our industry continues to make great strides in the year ahead.
When he spoke at the AGA Executive Conference in Chicago in October, just after he was elected as chair, Scott gave the audience a call to action. He asked us all to help our industry find new and better ways to engage and inform our stakeholders. Scott told us about conversations he has with friends, neighbors, community members, and even the people he sees in airports and rental car lines. He talks to them about the importance of natural gas to our energy, rallying them to be new allies and advocates for our industry.
I am excited about the year ahead as I work with Scott and our entire Board to continue to raise the voice of natural gas and its critical role in our nation’s energy landscape. We are charting a course for a clean and secure future by delivering affordable, reliable energy to the American people every minute of every day. I believe it’s time for a new, fresh and thoughtful discussion about our country’s energy future, and we at AGA are prepared to lead that conversation. Stay with us!
President and CEO