Youngstown company battles propane-fuel shortage

YOUNGSTOWN — A nationwide shortage of propane gas is sending Ohio suppliers scrambling to secure enough of the home-heating fuel as another brutal freeze bears down over the region.

With frigid conditions expected to continue into next week, Gov. John R. Kasich issued an emergency declaration over the weekend authorizing propane shippers with valid commercial driver’s licenses to drive more hours and more consecutive days than they normally would.

One of those shippers, a driver for Youngstown Propane Inc., drove through the night and reached the Raleigh suburb of Apex, N.C., at 7 a.m. Wednesday. He made the 10-hour trip to secure about 9,000 gallons of the fuel, which is often used to heat rural homes.

But he wasn’t alone. As of 2 p.m. Wednesday, Bob Jones, owner of Youngstown Propane, still wasn’t clear if his man had secured the load, as drivers from all over the country descended on the North Carolina depot.

“There’s a line like you wouldn’t believe,” Jones said.

For the complete story, read Thursday's Vindicator and Vindy.com