Why It Matters
The Compressed Gas Association is lobbying Congress on compressed gases in the military industrial base, Section 232 and Section 301 tariff relief for large-diameter seamless steel pipe, and carbon dioxide (CO₂) supply chain and carbon capture issues, as its third-quarter 2026 in-house filing shows. In June 2025, a presidential proclamation raised Section 232 steel tariffs from 25 percent to 50 percent, and on February 10, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) stopped processing Section 232 exclusion requests and no longer accepts or issues exclusions.
By the Numbers
The association's in-house third-quarter 2026 filing reports $170,000, up $80,000 from its second-quarter 2026 in-house amount of $90,000. It is also up $100,000 from the in-house third-quarter 2025 amount of $70,000. Across all three registrants, the combined third-quarter 2026 total reached $280,000, up $140,000 from the combined third-quarter 2025 total of $140,000.
The full third-quarter 2026 team:
- In-house (Compressed Gas Association): Rich Gottwald, president and CEO; no prior congressional staff experience listed.
- Holland & Knight LLP, $100,000: Beth Viola, Isabel Lane, Parker Reynolds, Patrick Childress.
- Greenberg Traurig LLP, $10,000: Dan Sennott, Joel Roberson, Joe Bartlett. The firm's third-quarter 2026 report for the Compressed Gas Association lists the $10,000 amount.
Holland & Knight's third-quarter 2026 amount of $100,000 is up $10,000 from its second-quarter 2026 amount of $90,000.
Broader Context
Section 232 and Section 301 tariff relief
A March 2023 U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) retrospective analysis found that Section 232 tariffs reduced imports of affected steel products by 24% on average from 2018 to 2021, raised U.S. steel prices by 2.4%, increased U.S. steel production by 1.9%, and reduced downstream-industry production by an estimated $3.5 billion in 2021, though it was not an assessment of the tariffs' overall net benefit.
Compressed gases in the military industrial base
The fiscal year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) became Public Law 119-60 in December 2025. A July 2025 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that the Defense Department's supply-chain visibility efforts were uncoordinated and provided little insight into most suppliers, noting that DOD estimates more than 200,000 suppliers help produce advanced weapons systems and noncombat goods.
CO₂ supply chain and carbon capture
H.R. 1, enacted as Public Law 119-21 on July 4, 2025, amended the carbon-oxide sequestration credit under Section 45Q. A 2022 Congressional Research Service report concluded that carbon capture and storage (CCS) could reduce CO₂ emissions from power plants and large industrial facilities, while noting concerns about continued fossil-fuel use, potential CO₂ leakage, and transport, economic, regulatory, and liability challenges.
The Bottom Line
With BIS no longer accepting Section 232 exclusion requests, any tariff relief on large-diameter seamless steel pipe would require new executive action or legislation. The Section 45Q changes enacted in Public Law 119-21 are in effect, with no further scheduled congressional action on that provision in the evidence. Greenberg Traurig moved from a zero-dollar filing to a fee-bearing engagement this quarter, the clearest shift in the association's outside lobbying roster across complete quarters.
Access the Legis1 platform for comprehensive political news, data, and insights
Spot something wrong? Report an issue with this article
