Important update about your natural gas service
 
 Dear valued customer,
 
 It’s our privilege to provide you with affordable and reliable natural gas, every day. In fact, the STL Pipeline was built to support your energy needs, along with those of more than 650,000 homes and businesses in the St. Louis region. Since 2019, this safe, fully operational pipeline has been bringing even more reliable and affordable natural gas to our community.
 
 Unfortunately, while the STL Pipeline continues to operate today, it is now in jeopardy. 
 
 As a result, we want to keep you informed and prepared for potential natural gas disruptions—and outages—this winter if the pipeline is not kept in service.  
 
 Here’s some background
 You may have heard about the pipeline in the news. In short, the government agency that regulates interstate pipelines approved the construction and operation of the Spire STL Pipeline after a two-year, rigorous regulatory review.
 
 However, in January 2020, a New York-based environmentalist group challenged the government agency’s approval process, and in June 2021, the court ruled in the group’s favor. This ruling essentially took back the pipeline’s approval to operate.
 
 Where things stand today
 The STL Pipeline is fully operational today, with temporary federal approval to operate through Dec. 13—but that only takes us halfway through Missouri’s coldest months.
 
 Spire has been working to keep the pipeline in service this winter as government regulators consider its long-term use. In fact, this week our CEO and Chief Legal Counsel traveled to Washington D.C. to talk with as many lawmakers as possible to help them understand the potential impact to the St. Louis community. We’re confident that we’ve done everything we can to demonstrate the critical role the pipeline plays in providing the St. Louis community with energy, but  there are no guarantees it will operate beyond Dec. 13.
 
 What we’re doing to prepare
 While we’re hopeful the government will extend the approval for the pipeline to operate for the full winter heating season, we want to be prepared.
 
 We’ve created an emergency plan to reduce the potential impact for residential customers and businesses that provide critical services.
 
 And we’ve been coordinating with local authorities and emergency management professionals, so the St. Louis community is prepared.
 
 Our goal, as always, is to keep you safe and warm. As the most reliable energy source to heat homes, cook meals and fuel industry, natural gas outages are extremely rare.* However, a St. Louis winter without the STL Pipeline in service is a different situation.
 
 So along the way, we’ll keep you informed, help you prepare for potential outages or service disruptions and advocate for the continued operation of the pipeline—because we know it’s the right thing to do for our customers and our community.
 
 What you can do
 Without the STL Pipeline in place, you may be asked to conserve energy by turning down the thermostat in your home or business and reducing use of your natural gas appliances (fireplace, oven or another appliance). While we understand this isn’t ideal during the winter months, we also know it will help us maintain service to the St. Louis community.
 
 Stay in touch and informed
 We encourage you to stay informed about the evolving situation by visiting SpireEnergy.com/Critical.
 
 Thank you for working with us. 
 
 
 Stay safe, 
 
 Scott Carter
 President, Spire Missouri
 
 *Gas Technology Institute Study