Senator Al Franken (D. MN) has been trying to figure out how to stop gas price spikes for a while:
http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/...
“I’m currently working with the Department of Energy to explore whether there’s a way to make sure that we can avoid having multiple temporary refinery closures in the same area of the country — which is part of the reason why we’re seeing the spike in gas prices,” said Franken, chairman of the Energy Subcommittee on the Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee.
According to minnesotagasprices.com, the average price Thursday afternoon for a gallon of unleaded gasoline was $3.63 nationally but nearly $4.16 in Minnesota. That’s up from $3.46 in Minnesota four weeks ago.
Minnesota prices ranged from $3.69 to $4.29 per gallon Thursday, including from $3.95 to $4.29 in Duluth, the website reported Thursday. - Duluth News Times, 5/17/13
This past week, Franken may have found his answer to why gas prices have spiked:
http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/...
Sen. Al Franken is blaming the recent spike in Minnesota gas prices in part on the Department of Energy’s decision to stop publishing refinery maintenance reports two years ago.
The reports, authorized under the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act, were intended to help oil companies avoid shutting down multiple refineries in the same region of the country at the same time. The department stopped publishing the reports and collecting data from refineries in 2011, citing a reduction in funding, Franken said.
Franken, D-Minn., challenged Adam Sieminski, head of the Energy Information Administration, about the issue in a hearing Tuesday after Sieminski acknowledged that simultaneous refinery shutdowns were contributing to the price spikes. - Duluth New Tribune, 5/22/13
Franken also has an ally in the Senate helping him get to the bottom of this:
http://finance-commerce.com/...
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, had already joined Franken, D-Minn., in calling on U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz to renew the publishing of reports and collecting of data from refineries. The Energy Department discontinued the practice in 2011.
Franken and Wyden said in a letter to Moniz:
Given the importance of this situation to motorists, we urge that you carry out the intent of Congress by re-starting the EIA analysis and reporting of planned refinery outages. In addition, we also request that you provide our offices with your recommendations on additional steps that could be taken by Congress to improve EIA’s monitoring of refinery outages and prevent this situation from recurring in the future.
Both business owners and people in general have felt the financial pinch of Minnesota’s gas price spike.
TwinCitiesGasPrices.com shows average Minnesota and Twin Cities gas prices rising from around $3.40 per gallon around April 22 to a present $4.25 per gallon. - E & E News, 5/22/13
On Friday, Franken was joined by another colleague to tackle rising gas prices:
http://hometownsource.com/...
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken this week introduced legislation to help prevent spikes in gas prices.
After the closure of several oil refineries in the Midwest region for maintenance over the last few weeks, gas prices have surged to over $4 a gallon in Minnesota.
The senators’ legislation would require refineries to report their maintenance schedule to the Department of Energy (DoE) to prevent simultaneous closures and help avert future shortages.
“As we head into one of the busiest travel weekends of the year, Minnesota’s record high gas prices will have a real impact on families and businesses across our state,” Klobuchar said. “Scheduled maintenance at refineries should not be allowed to cause such major disruptions in supply. This legislation would help refineries and the Department of Energy coordinate the timing of maintenance to stop preventable shortages before they start.”
“This recent spike in gas prices hurt families and businesses in Minnesota, and I’m committed to doing everything I can to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Franken said. “Our legislation would help prevent gas prices from skyrocketing when refineries have to shut down by helping ensure that we avoid simultaneous refinery outages so our supply remains intact. It’s a commonsense fix that will help protect Minnesotans’ wallets.”
The legislation would require refineries to report to the Department their schedule for maintenance that would bring any refineries off line. The bill would also require refineries to immediately tell the Department when they are experiencing unplanned outages. Finally, the bill asks the Secretary of Energy to look at the potential for additional fuel storage in the region to address the low storage capacity that makes the region especially vulnerable to shortages. - Hometown Source, 5/24/13
If you'd like more information about the legislation, please contact either Senator Franken or Klobuchar for more details:
Franken: (202) 224-5641
Klobuchar: (202) 224-3244