Gov. Scott Walker declared a State of Emergency Saturday in response to ongoing propane shortages paired with another incoming arctic front which together pose major threats to public safety in Wisconsin.

24 other states across the country including Ohio, Michigan and Minnesota have also declared emergencies as temperatures drop to below zero in another arctic cold front advance.

“The health and safety of our citizens is our number one priority, and this declaration gives us the necessary resources to protect the residents of Wisconsin,” Walker said in a statement. “I will do everything I can within my power to help our friends and loved ones relying on propane to heat their homes or businesses during this challenging situation.”

The supply shortage in Wisconsin has caused delivery delays and reduced amounts of propane delivered for residents who use propane to heat their homes, according to the statement.

The propane shortage began after a major pipeline supplying propane to Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa was shut down for maintenance in December 2013, among other causes, the statement said. Extreme temperatures this winter have exacerbated the shortage.

“It’s not a permanent shortage and we won’t run out, but there are no avenues to deal with this shortage today other than a break in the weather,” Brandon Scholz, managing director of the Wisconsin Propane Gas Association, told Reuters. “We could be sitting in this situation to spring.”

Propane prices shot up to $4.30 a gallon on Friday, double the amount from the week earlier. Prices have steadily risen over the course of the winter as the propane shortage has continued.

The Governor’s office, the State Department of Transportation, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Department of Administration’s Division of Energy Services are working together to import as much propane as possible to provide heat for the 250,000 Wisconsin residents who rely on propane to heat their homes and businesses, the statement said.

An executive order from Walker’s office to the Department of Transportation is temporarily suspending DOT issued limits placed on the number of consecutive hours truck drivers tasked with delivering propane are allowed to operate their vehicles without stopping to sleep, in order to increase propane supply to Wisconsinites.

According to the executive order there are long lines waiting in front of propane terminals with as many as 30 transport trucks waiting to be filled, with wait times of over 12 hours at some terminals in the Midwest.

“I’ve issued executive orders that allow for truckers that deliver propane to Wisconsin to drive longer hours – while doing so safely – so you have the fuel you need to heat your home,” Walker said.

Additionally, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation has issued an order to allow transport vehicles carrying propane to carry oversized loads of propane to increase the volume of gas transported in a single trip.

According to the statement, “Even states as far away as Texas are helping us get propane to the Midwest.”

Jacob Ahrens Balwit contributed to this article. 

[Photo via flickr user jasonwoodhead23]