Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representatives Darin LaHood (IL-18) and Rodney Davis (IL-13) today sent a letter to Congressional leadership urging the passage of a bipartisan emergency appropriation for communities who faced high natural gas prices during recent severe weather.
From the letter:
“We write to respectfully request your immediate consideration of bipartisan emergency disaster supplemental appropriations relating to the winter storms in Texas and the Midwest, to provide targeted relief for the resulting impacts felt in states throughout the country.
“As you may know, in some areas recently, the price per unit of natural gas increased to as much as fifteen times the cost of what it was just weeks ago. As the COVID-19 pandemic persists and our local communities continue to recover, many are now faced with dauntingly high energy bills, including many that we represent. Immediate action is necessary to prevent further compounded financial damages.
“The lack of power, rolling blackouts and surging energy prices cannot be ignored by the federal government. We are pleased that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has opened an investigation into natural gas markets and the spike in prices, but this does not resolve the financial woes our local communities now find themselves. While traditionally the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides disaster relief for emergency protective measures relating directly to a declared emergency, it does not have authority to provide relief for price variations in markets. Therefore, bipartisan emergency disaster supplemental appropriations are necessary.
“If Congressional leadership fails to address this issue, we run the risk of derailing any amount of progress that our local communities have made in their COVID-19 recovery efforts.”
You can find a copy of the letter here.
Related: LaHood Supports FERC Investigation Into Possible Natural Gas Price Gouging
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