States Fret as Road Salt Grows Scarce, Pricey

Road salt is stressing state and municipal budgets as shortages drive prices up well past what local governments have paid in the past, USA Today reports. A harsh winter last year left many states with no salt reserves to carry over, meaning they have to fully restock at inflated prices. New Hampshire is paying $10 million for salt that cost $8 million last year.

In Ohio, where some reports put the price of salt at $150 a ton—triple the usual cost of around $50 a ton—Gov. Ted Strickland has launched an investigation. "People are freaking out about it because you don't want to run out," says the president of a salt vendors’ association. "It's going to be an interesting winter."
(More ice stories.)