Sikeston lawmaker named to propane pricing panel

Missouri House Speaker Tim Jones named state Rep. Holly Rehder of Sikeston, Mo., to a special committee Thursday to investigate possible price gouging in propane and its prices continuing to rise.

"The extreme jump we saw in pricing caught all of us off guard and resulted in many Missourians with bills that were hundreds and even thousands of dollars higher than expected," said Jones, R-Eureka. "Even as the prices stabilize we still need answers as to why this dramatic increase happened. I am confident they will be able to find these answers as they conduct a thorough investigation with their committee."

Rehder, a Republican, will be one of a 12-member committee that will examine the causes that led propane prices to rise to $5 or more a gallon.

"The sudden propane shortage affected many in our area. From individual users to poultry farmers, and many in between, we had people worried they were about to be without a heat source in record low temperatures," Rehder said. "We need to have confidence in the fact that the price increase was the result of unavoidable circumstances rather than an increase of profits from suppliers, irresponsible future trading, etc."