Spire exec defends email warning of possible gas outages

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) — St. Louis County Council members are seeking answers over Spire Missouri’s recent email warning customers of potential natural gas outages this winter — outages the company said could occur if a pipeline is shut down. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that council members questioned Spire’s planning manager, David Yonce, during a meeting on Tuesday where he said about 400,000 homes in the St. Louis region could lose gas supply eventually if the pipeline closes. But some council members accused Spire of creating unnecessary panic. In June, a federal appeals court panel ruled that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission didn’t adequately demonstrate the need for the 65-mile pipeline that was approved in 2018 and runs through parts of Illinois and Missouri.