Democratic senator calls for probe into natural gas price hikes during severe winter storms
CNN
Democratic Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota sent a letter to regulators Saturday calling for an investigation into possible price gouging of natural gas in Texas and other areas affected by severe winter storms this month.
"While the worst of the crisis has been centered in Texas, the effects have rippled across the entire region, including in Minnesota," Smith wrote in the letter, which was first reported by the Associated Press. "One such ripple effect has been in the natural gas markets, where natural gas spot prices have spiked, in some cases, to nearly 100 times typical levels." Smith specifically requested an investigation into the conditions in the natural gas market over the last week and asked that the acting secretary of the Department of Energy, David Huizenga, and other regulators invoke emergency measures such as the Natural Gas Policy Act, which would regulate natural gas production and transmission.
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