Nebraska's run as the low-cost propane king was broken by Iowa last week. (image: Adam79 via flickr.com)
Take this as a sign of the recent volatility in the propane market: Nebraska lost the crown as the low-cost king of retail propane last week.
The average retail price for a gallon of Nebraska propane was a half penny higher than the average price in neighboring Iowa, according to the last numbers from the Nebraska Energy Office. That amounts to a serious takedown by the Hawkeye State. Nebraska has dominated the Midwest for years, at least among states that participate in the EIA’s pricing survey. (Neither Texas nor Kansas — which both sit on vast propane reserves, meaning low transport costs — send in their numbers, and could reasonably be expected to have low LPG prices.)
But how long will it last? We’ll pick Nebraska to be back on top soon. The state hasn’t led for so long without having a few tricks up its sleeve. And the new numbers will be out soon…
Also worth noting, in our ongoing study of the link between the performance of a state’s college athletic team and its propane prices, there was this: Nine days before Iowa moved ahead of Nebraska, the Iowa State basketball team beat Nebraska in an overtime nail-biter, 82-83.