Printer Friendly
Email to a Friend
Midwest Faces Propane Shortage
(KTNC) -- Propane prices are skyrocketing, and unless the weather warms and demand drops, one industry official says the Midwest supply of the fuel could run out next month.
Jeff LaPan, a spokesman for C-H-S Incorporated, a Minnesota company that sells propane on the wholesale market, says Midwesterners used about one-point-two million gallons of propane last week and only about five million gallons are left in the region.
LaPan says a combination of factors have led to this shortage – the shutdown of a key pipeline, below average supplies last fall, higher demand for propane to dry the 2013 harvest, and higher demand from homeowners due to the cold temperatures.
About eight-percent of homes in Nebraska use propane as a heating fuel. LaPan says this is essentially a perfect storm situation, calling the high demand an anomaly that's far outside the norm.
Propane prices hit a record high last week at a distribution hub in Conway, Kansas, while prices in some areas of rural Nebraska rose to five-dollars a gallon. A week earlier, it was less than half that price in Nebraska.
Elsewhere, Iowa’s governor sent a letter to President Obama on Monday, asking the president to ease or waive whatever federal regulations he can that might make it easier to get propane to market. Also Monday, Minnesota’s governor declared a state of emergency because of a severe shortage of propane and other home heating fuels.
© Nebraska Radio Network
MOST VIEWED STORIES
Solicitation of shopping teen leaves Weston man charged
New director appointed for NEK Multi-County Health Depts
Three injured, one cited, after rainy Atchison Co wreck
Sabetha man charged with electronic solicitation
Pawnee County man charged with sexual assault of a child
Atchison woman arrested for meth possession
Motorcyclist killed in St. Joseph crash
Scooter crash Tuesday leaves Atchison man injured
Atchison street goes no parking
Effort to recall Auburn, Neb Mayor underway
APD arrests two Thursday; separate crimes hold both
Health advisories remain in place for 4 NE KS local lakes
Two Topekans arrested after Jackson Co traffic stop
3 local NE KS cities awarded grants for park improvements
Richardson Co approves law enforcement contract with Humboldt
Mercury Spill Contained, cleanup still to be completed at Sabetha High School
Smoke leads to local area air quality alert
Neighborhood revitalization plan discussed at county meeting
LATEST STORIES
APD arrests two Thursday; separate crimes hold both
Mercury Spill Contained, cleanup still to be completed at Sabetha High School
Effort to recall Auburn, Neb Mayor underway
Smoke leads to local area air quality alert
3 local NE KS cities awarded grants for park improvements
Marysville woman selected to fill judge vacancy
Auburn Drought Emergency Upgraded by BPW ( UPDATE)
NioCorp praising Congressman Adrian Smith
RELATED STORIES
USDA Boss Blasts Railroads for Rail Car Shortage
More Storms Possible this Weekend
Red Cross says Learn to Swim Before Heading to Pool or Lake
Morel Mushroom Season Underway in Nebraska
Nebraska Among States Considering Legalizing Industrial Hemp
Fewer Cancer Specialists Practicing in Rural Areas
Ex-Worker in Beatrice Abuse Case Gets Prison Time
Study Shows Drop in Nebraska Groundwater Levels
Company Plans to Open Biodiesel Plant in SE Nebraska
Governor Heineman Calls for Tax Cuts in State of the State Speech
Hiawatha, Ks 66434