MARQUETTE, Mich. (AP) - Michigan utility regulators say Upper Peninsula residents whose supplies of propane already are running short face new challenges this week with the closing of a Wisconsin facility for maintenance.
The Michigan Public Service Commission says that inventories in the region are 43 percent below their level of one year ago.
Commission Chairman John Quackenbush says "propane customers in the Upper Peninsula should use their propane supplies wisely in the coming weeks by reducing usage and avoiding energy waste."
Gov. Rick Snyder has declared an emergency because of the shortage. He issued an executive order Jan. 10 loosening rules for trucks carrying propane and fuel oil through Jan. 31.
The order allows the trucks to be on the road more hours and more days in a row.
