Alternative Fuels Being Rerouted to New Jersey

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has temporarily eased biofuel delivery rules at East Coast shipping facilities to relieve the fuel shortage in New Jersey caused by Superstorm Sandy. U.S. Sens. Frank R. Lautenberg and Robert Menendez, both of New Jersey, requested the easement in a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson.

 

Because of damaged fuel terminals in New Jersey, millions of gallons of biofuels are currently unable to reach the state. But with the EPA decision, fuel can now be transported by train to other facilities on the East Coast, such as Baltimore, and then shipped to New Jersey.

 

“We need to get fuel flowing into New Jersey, and the EPA’s decision to allow fuel to be rerouted to New Jersey is an important step toward getting our state moving again,” Lautenberg and Menendez say in a joint statement. “The fuel shortage and power outages at gas stations are holding our state back from a full recovery. We will continue working to do everything possible to get our first responders and all New Jerseyans moving again.” 

 

In the days following the storm, the two senators called on President Obama to dispatch supplies of gasoline and fuel and to ramp up federal efforts to restore power to gas stations and provide federal assistance with the investigation of gas price gouging claims. The senators also worked with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to expedite the delivery of fuel trucks to New Jersey.

 

Fuel terminals across New Jersey suffered damage from the storm, which made landfall Oct. 29, 2012. According to a Reuters report, a barge containing 17.6 million gallons of fuel is bound for New Jersey and expected to reach the state by Nov. 8.