Posted on 01/23/2014 9:57:57 AM PST by topher
(Reuters) - U.S. Midwestern states are scrambling to address a deepening shortage of the home-heating fuel propane just as another cold snap envelops the region, threatening to strain supplies that are already at historic lows.
Demand has been boosted by the combination of record freezing weather at the start of this year and a late, wet, record corn harvest last October and November, when large quantities of propane were used to dry out crops. Propane stocks have been drained and prices in the region are the highest since at least 1990.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Comments?
Hell, my company supplies Mexico with propane. Keep it coming since I get a good paycheck.
I love the smell of frozen New Englanders in the morning!
Create a shortage then raise the price. Repeat ad naseum until you are as rich as Bill Gates if you own a business that involves commodities that the public “has” to have. Its a business strategy thats been around for decades but seems to be used a lot more lately.
Ask them if they oppose hydraulic fracturing now?
But then that would make sense, and considering how Keystone pipeline has been shot down by environmentalists, probably will not happen.
I would rather the private sector handle these problems rather the government.
As quickly as they can get it out of the ground. I live in Central Indiana. Normally, we get a solid two week stretch of cold weather, meaning the high temperature does not get above freezing. Sometimes it lasts longer. But usually it comes on one chunk and you're done. There can be days of cold, and snowstorms, other times. But its that two weeks I really consider the worst part of winter.
Not this year. Al Gore can go to hell if he wants to find some warming. It's not happening here.
Also a very wet corn crop this year...
From the article:
Demand has been boosted by the combination of record freezing weather at the start of this year and a late, wet, record corn harvest last October and November, when large quantities of propane were used to dry out crops.
It’s becoming obvious that one should have a backup source of house heat in addition to a backup system of some type to supply at least a minimum of electricity.
Apparently, some things have happened to reduce the supply of propane. One is the cold weather. The other is a wet corn crop that was died out using propane...
“The only woman I’m pimping is sweet lady propane! And I’m tricking her out all over this town.”
Hank Hill
A small diesel generator could help to re-charge the batteries.
FireFly Energy (in bankruptcy last I looked) came up with a quick charge heavy duty battery that Mac Trucks/Tractor Trailer Trucks could use to heat/air condition the cab.
I believe that this is a carbon foam battery -- a new type of technology that increases the charge and how quickly it can be re-charged...
From this product page:
Developed by scientists at Firefly International Energy, microcell foam is a material that’s revolutionizing the battery industry. Compared to lead plates (one of the main components of most conventional truck batteries ), patented Microcell technology delivers longer service life, increased energy efficiency and better performance under extreme conditions.
Basically, having 10 batteries in SERIES would provide 120 Volts.
Linking in series means the positive post of one battery is linked to the negative post of the next battery.
The amps are the same, but the voltage increases by 12 Volts with battery in the chain...
Well heads can freeze up when it’s extremely cold if your well is producing some water.
Also if the well is producing condensate, when the storage tanks on location are full and you can’t get a truck to haul a load to market because of weather, all you can do is shut the well in or your storage tanks will overflow.
A lot of wells will be shut in before a storm because they don’t know how long it will be before they can haul a load and they don’t want the tanks to overflow.
There really isn’t any way around it.
If Texas shut down their oil and gas refineries, the north part of the country would freeze. Besides propane and gasoline and chemicals for plastics, the North’s heating oil goes from Texas through pipes all the way north.
The country lives on Texas energy going north. Hussein and Holder hate Texas - they would prefer Texas be gone so people would have to cut holes for legs and arms in warm sleeping bags and wear those so the world would be saved from global warming - they would love it if Texas energy refineries were shut down.
Every one in this country should have a way to stay warm independent from any public utility.
Texas has some Texas sized production of Oil and Natural Gas, and the recent advances in drilling is increasing that production.
South Dakota is starting to be a player in oil production...
There is a need for pipelines to move Natural Gas, Gasoline, Diesel, and Propane to other parts of the country...
But our current administration has stacked the deck against oil companies and such projects as Keystone...
Propane song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc1URQgQWNo
It is forecast to be in the high 20's for the lows in the next 7 days -- so that will cause more problems in getting production back to normal.
From what I understand, propane is made as a byproduct of gasoline, so there are quite a few refineries in New Jersey as well as along US Gulf of Mexico.
The problem is getting propane to other parts of the country.
We have natural gas pipelines and natural gas storage.
Maybe there needs to be storage somewhere around Saint Louis, MO and Chicago, IL that could handle a very cold spell...
Is there also a shortage on propane accessories?
Governor Jindal Declares Emergency for Propane and Fuel Delivery
Governor Bobby Jindal has taken note of this, and is making it a priority.
This may help -- since sending barges full of propane up the Mississippi River would a way to get lots of propane to the Midwest very quickly...
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