State opens propane hotline

ST. PAUL -- The state has established a hotline for Minnesotans with propane problems or questions.

Propane is in short supply, which pushes prices to record-high levels. Gov. Mark Dayton has declared a state of emergency.

The hotline is 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at (651) 297-1304 or (800) 657-3504. Experts from the state Commerce Department are staffing the hotline in the Minnesota Emergency Operations Center.

About 250,000 Minnesota homes use propane fuel for heat, with businesses and farmers also using it. Most of the homes that use propane are in rural areas.