Indiana Governor Mike Pence has taken action as a result of the propane fuel crisis, and now one lawmaker wants help from the President. As farmers, homeowners and propane suppliers struggle with a sharp drop in supply and the resulting spike in prices, Wisconsin Congressman Ron Kind is asking President Obama to direct the Federal Government to address the current propane crisis.
“This week I’m sending a letter to the President asking him to direct all the federal agencies, all hands on deck approach in order to address the crisis that we have right now when it comes to supply lines, the fuel lines, also export issues that are affecting the supply domestically, and what we can do in the future in order to avoid being caught flat footed and seeing this huge spike in domestic fuel costs for families.”
Kind would like to see the Department of Energy explore a strategic propane reserve.
“Does that make sense for propane? Should we have a strategic reserve when we get this polar vortex coming down as we have, unusually this winter, but because of the cold weather. It’s not just the upper Midwest. It’s also the southern states that are consuming a lot more fuel to deal with their heating needs which is very unusual. That’s what’s obviously led to supply shortages. But I also think we need to look at the tremendous increases in the exports that we’ve seen in the market lately. That too has limited domestic supply for when we need it.”
Kind also believes that the export subsidies for the energy companies should be reduced or removed and that there will be a debate over the export of the increased oil and gas production here in the U.S.