(Source: Press release from the office of Senator Al Franken (D-MN), January 30, 2014)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — With the propane shortage in Minnesota having reached a crisis point, U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) is urging railway companies today to increase propane shipments to Minnesota.
In a letter sent to two major rail companies, BNSF and Canadian Pacific, Sen. Franken called for action to help Minnesotans who are running low on propane during the severe winter cold. An estimated 250,000 homes, businesses, and farming operations in Minnesota use propane.
“Households and businesses in my state have seen significant spikes in the price of propane fuel during the severe winter cold,” wrote Sen. Franken in his letter. “Any further reduction in supply, and resulting increase in price, could leave my constituents without heat during a life-threatening cold snap.”
Later, he added, “Lives and livelihoods are at stake, and it is with that in mind that I urge you and your railroad to do all within your power to increase propane shipments to my state.”
In addition to urging rail companies to increase propane shipments, Sen. Franken has been taking action on several fronts to help Minnesotans who rely on the fuel. He recently called Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, urging him to help address the crisis as soon as possible. And at Sen. Franken’s urging, the Obama Administration released emergency funding through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which will help ease the burdensome cost of propane fuel for hard-hit Minnesotans.
Earlier this week, Sen. Franken strongly endorsed Governor Dayton’s emergency actions to address the propane shortage. Last weekend, Sen. Franken, Governor Dayton, and other members of the Minnesota Congressional delegation pressed the President to consider several actions to ensure that adequate propane supplies get to Minnesota and other states hit by the shortage. You can read a copy of that letter here.
You can read Sen. Franken’s letter to BNSF and Canadian Pacific below:
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January 30, 2014
Minnesota is experiencing a severe, ongoing supply shortage of propane fuel, and I am writing to urge you to take any reasonable actions to increase shipments of this important fuel to Minnesota. Households and businesses in my state have seen significant spikes in the price of propane fuel during the severe winter cold. Any further reduction in supply, and resulting increase in price, could leave my constituents without heat during a life-threatening cold snap.
Minnesota is one of 25 states nationwide that have issued an Emergency Declaration or Executive Order pertaining to the issue of propane delivery and transportation. In Minnesota, an estimated 250,000 homes rely on propane for heat. Since October, these homes have seen the price of propane increase from an average of $1.67 per gallon to prices as high as $6.67 per gallon.
To prevent any further price increase, Minnesotans are depending on all modes of transportation to bolster the supply of propane. Lives and livelihoods are at stake, and it is with that in mind that I urge you and your railroad to do all within your power to increase propane shipments to my state. Thank you in advance for any efforts you can undertake to help this dire situation.