Sens. Franken, Portman, Baldwin Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Help Prevent Future Propane Shortages

Press Release

Today, U.S. Sens. Al Franken (D-Minn.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) introduced bipartisan legislation to address the root causes of propane shortages like the one that hit families, farmers, and businesses across the Midwest and other parts of the country this past winter.

The bipartisan group of Senators introduced the Propane Supply and Security Act, which will help prevent shortages by improving propane supply and price information, coordinating responses to shortages, studying the need for regional propane reserves, and helping farmers purchase propane storage tanks. You can read a summary of the Propane Supply and Security Act here.

"When the propane crisis hit last winter, I traveled around Minnesota and heard from families and producers about how much it hurt them," said Sen. Franken, Chairman of the Senate Energy Subcommittee. "I heard from everyone--from homeowners who couldn't afford to heat their homes to turkey growers who couldn't heat their barns. This bipartisan bill will help us respond more quickly to future shortages and it will help prevent them in the first place."

"Last winter's propane shortage caused a tremendous burden for the Ohioans who rely on propane to heat their homes and Ohio livestock operations," said Sen. Portman. "To be better prepared in the future, we must move quickly to enact this bipartisan legislation to help prevent and better manage shortages."

"Nearly 250,000 Wisconsin residents and countless businesses throughout my state weathered a severe propane crisis this last winter," said Sen. Baldwin. "Our goal should be to a prevent future crisis and this bipartisan bill takes commonsense action to help manage shortages more effectively by improving coordination."

This winter, Sen. Franken led the charge to alleviate the propane shortage. He pressed to extend the hours-of-service exemption, making it easier for suppliers to transport propane to Minnesota. Sen. Franken helped Minnesota families struggling to heat their homes receive much-needed heating assistance. He also successfully pressed federal energy and transportation officials to take action to allow more propane to come into hard hit areas in Minnesota via truck and pipeline. In May, the Senate Energy Committee--of which Sen. Franken is a member--held a hearing to probe the factors that led to the tight propane supplies this past winter and to ensure that steps are taken to prevent similar shortages in the future.

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