MN Looking To Investigate Rise In Natural Gas Prices

(St. Paul, MN)  --  State officials want to look into spiking natural gas prices as a result of winter storms affecting parts of the country.  The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission is convening a special meeting on Tuesday, where a number of public utilities have been asked to appear and answer questions on how these price spikes affect Minnesotans.  However, the meeting could be just the beginning of related inquiries.  Senator Tina Smith has already called for an investigation into "possible price gouging" from energy companies as well as in the natural gas market.  She says the crisis centered in Texas has had rippling effects all across the region.