Amid deep cold sweeping the heart of the US, General Motors and others have suspended manufacturing in Michigan amid a natural gas shortage (archived). Residential users are being begged to lower their thermostats amid sub zero temperatures and wind chills well below the -40 fahrenheit/celsius intersection point. Last winter Airstrip One faced a severe lack of natural gas as an importer, but the US prides itself on a bountiful natural gas extraction industry. It turns out living in a "developed" country doesn't offer the same protection from winter's chill as it once did. Blame is being laid on a single fire at a single gas compression station.