Propane Incentives Grow After Tornadoes

OMAHA (DTN) -- Following the recent outbreak of tornadoes in the Midwest, the Propane Education and Research Council (PERC) announced Wednesday it will double its Propane Incentive Program for farmers who have experienced devastation from these storms.

Affected producers in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska and Ohio can apply for the Propane Farm Incentive Program and can earn double the incentive amount for qualifying propane-powered equipment. This offer is good from now through Dec. 31, 2024. Eligible equipment includes irrigation engines, building and water heating systems, power generators and flame weeding systems.

Through the program, applicants can receive twice the standard incentive amounts for $600 per liter of fuel displacement for propane-powered irrigation engines, up to $60/kW for generators, $3,000 for flame weeding systems and $4,000 for agricultural heaters, according to a PERC news release.

"We recognize the immense challenges faced by those who have lost so much by this tornado outbreak," said Michael Newland, director of agriculture business development at PERC. "Extending this program to help those affected is a small gesture we hope can make a difference in supporting those producers rebuilding their agricultural operations."

Applications will be verified by zip code and National Weather Service data. Producers can apply now at www.Propane.com/FarmIncentive.

PERC is a nonprofit that provides propane safety and training programs and invests in research and development of new propane-powered technologies. It is operated and funded by the propane industry. For more information, visit www.Propane.com.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported more than 100 tornadoes in April, including on EF-4, across the Midwest from April 25-28 (https://www.noaa.gov/…). On April 26, the severe weather resulted in the National Weather Service (NWS) in Omaha, Nebraska, issuing 48 tornado warnings -- the most the office has ever issued in a single day, according to NOAA.

The severe weather extended into the month of May as well. An EF-4 tornado struck the towns of Barnsdall and Bartlesville in Oklahoma on May 6. Severe weather with tornadoes spread eastward in the Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee Valleys over the next two days.

Russ Quinn can be reached at Russ.Quinn@dtn.com

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