Thursday, January 30, 2014

Volume 98; Number 31

www.bladepublishing.net staff@bladepublishing.net

A community newspaper serving Browerville, MN and surrounding areas. USPS 067-560

75

Propane shortage is real, say local spokesmen

By Rin Porter The unusually cold weather and record corn crop are the major factors in a propane supply shortage in the Midwest and East, according to local propane c o m p a n y spokesmen. In a telephone interview on Jan. 24, Brad Box, Energy D i v i s i o n Manager for Northern Star Cooperative Services, told us, There is propane. The inventories are at 20-year lows the lowest since 1993. The price has gone up substantialAn usually wet harvest season, combined with months of sub-zero tempera- ly, in an effort to tures have contributed to the propane shortage that is being felt in much of attract more central and northern Minnesota. By Rin Porter gallons to the Midwest. Box said propane production in the U.S. was higher than ever this year, and suppliers believed that they had plenty available. Over 70 million gallons was stored in the Kansas City area alone, with far more in Bellview and Bushton, Texas two other propane storage facilities. But the rain in October and November and the large corn crop meant that more than 300 million gallons of propane were used just to dry corn in the fall of 2013. This figure is five times higher than the 65 million gallons used in 2012, and it put suppliers in a bind. Then the unrelenting cold covering a large area reduced supplies still further, Box said. On top of that, the major pipeline that carries propane from Canada through Minnesota and south was taken offline for maintenance for several weeks. We had to use other terminals and we had no chance to build back supplies, Box explained. Right now, in late January, demand is outpacing supply. Where we sold prepay contracts for $1.59 per gallon in August, today were averaging $4.29 to $5.50 per gallon thats a $2.00 increase just this week, he said. The U.S. Department of Transportation issued an emergency exemption for 24 states to allow carriers to overcome restrictions on transporting propane. On Jan. 22, Texas issued an emergency exemption for new carriers coming into Texas to allow them to load propane without waiting the customary 30 days for a license. The Texas inventory remains high, Box said. Box sits on the board of directors of the Minnesota Propane Association and the National Propane Association. When asked about the consequences of the shortage and price increase on fuel assistance customers, Box said, Were trying to come up with a plan. Were very concerned about people on fuel assistance, who have probably already used up their crisis funding. Simon Bowman, a spokesperson for Amerigas, Inc., provided us with a written statement describing Amerigass situation: The propane industry has been experiencing unusually cold temperatures this winter following an unprecedented crop drying season this past fall. This combination of weather, along with other factors, has resulted in a major constraint on propane supply, particularly in the Midwest and Northeast. As a result, many propane terminals and suppliers have been either out of propane or on restricted allocation for an extended period of time. AmeriGas, like the rest of the industry, is experiencing the effects of these regional supply constraints. However, AmeriGas has taken extraordinary measures to secure and deliver propane to all of our residential and commercial customers and has repositioned critical transportation and distribution assets into areas most in need of propane service.

Number of 911 hang up calls is on the rise

Todd County Sheriff s Office would like to take this opportunity to remind parents and children about 911 calls which are p l a c e d from disconnecte d / n o a c t i v e service cell phones. R e c ently our dispatch received over sixty 911 hang up calls in a two day period thoughout the county from these phones. Many people do not realize that someone can still dial 911 from a disconnected cell phone, provided the phone is powered on. Dispatch is unable to trace these phones and unless mapping information comes up, they have no way to ring these calls back. Many times these calls are from children, whether they are accidental calls, pocket dial calls, or intentionally dialed for fun to see what happens. These types of calls create a huge distraction for dispatch, where we often have only one dispatcher on duty who is trying to deal with all of the other radio, phone, and emergency traffic for the entire county. Getting this volume of unnecessary 911 calls takes their time and focus away from priority calls. This is not to discourage anyone from calling 911 if they have an actual emergency and are in need of assistance. If you are in an emergency situation and need assistance, it is absolutely appropriate to call 911. Be aware that if you are placing the call from a disconnected phone, the dispatcher will not have your call back number, so if you become disconnected, you will need to call back. For parents who send these phones with their children in case of an e m e r gency, we request that you talk to your children and let them know the phone should remain powered off until it is needed. There is no practical purpose for keeping them on as no other calls can be made or received. Children should also understand that the only time they should dial 911 is if they have an actual emergency and dialing 911 for fun may have an effect on another person who is in a real emergency situation. Additionally, if parents allow smaller children and infants to play with a disconnected phone, they should make sure the battery is removed or completely drained prior to allowing the child to play with the phone. We often have similar instances of babies or toddler who manage to dial 911 from these phones and then are able to send multiple calls through be continuing to push the buttons. All of these scenarios put unnecessary strain on dispatch resources. The Todd County Sheriff s Office would ask that everyone be aware of this issue and assist us in providing the highest quality service to all of the citizens of Todd County.

Long Prairie home destroyed by fire

Long Prairie Fire and Police Departments were called to a house fire at 416 6th St NE in Long Prairie at 3:59 pm, January 20. The fire started in the chimney and spread into the house, causing extensive damage. The familys pet dog perished in the fire. The owner of the residence

was not at home at the time of the fire. Browerville Fire Department was called for mutual aid assistance. Others assisting at the scene were the Todd County Sheriff s Department and Minnesota State Patrol.

WEEKLY WEATHER REPORT

Tue. Jan. 28 Mostly Sunny -3/-11 Wed. Jan. 29 Partly Cloudy/Wind 20/-3 Thur. Jan. 30 Partly Cloudy 3/-10 Fri. Jan. 31 Partly Cloudy 8/1 Sat. Feb. 1 Partly Cloudy 9/-3 Sun. Feb. 2 Sunny 12/-4