The City of Winfield has incurred $10 million in natural gas costs through the previous six days as sub-zero temperatures gripped the area, leading the city to look for ways to mitigate the financial fallout. “The cost of this event to our community has been one that we have had very little control over. We are seeking every avenue of relief as this is an insurmountable cost for us that, without relief, will be felt for years to come,” Winfield city manager Taggart Wall said in a letter to the community, which was posted on the city’s Facebook page and emailed to the CourierTraveler. The city’s typical annual natural gas purchase is for $1.6 million, with a typical daily index of less than $3 per 1 million British Thermal Units (MMBtu). Wall said beginning Feb. 13 the daily index on the city’s pipeline soared more than 100 times the norm. That, compounded by extreme rises in demand, led to an all-time high of $428/MMBtu on Feb. 18.
Source: Cowley CourierTraveler
