The U.S. Department of Energy recently announced plans to establish two Northeast gasoline reserves, one near New York Harbor and the other in New England. The planned location of the New England petroleum product reserve was not disclosed on the department’s website.
With storms such as Hurricane Sandy creating disruptions in gasoline supplies throughout states including New York and Connecticut, this is the first time the federal government is stockpiling a refined petroleum product, according to DOE officials.
“The sudden, massive gas supply shortage after Superstom Sandy resulted in interminable line, panic and delivered a gut shot to the region’s economy,” U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement. “That’s why we called for regionally-placed reserves to ensure an uninterrupted fuel supply in the event of future storms like Sandy.”
Each location will store 500,000 barrels of gasoline to provide short-term relief during weather disruptions. The reserves will complement the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve, a 1 million barrel supply of diesel in the Northeast, DOE officials said in a statement. During Hurricane Sandy, emergency withdrawals from the heating oil reserve were used to supply first responders and emergency generators in the region, according to a DOE press release.
In 2012, more than 40 terminals in New York Harbor were closed because of the heavy water damage and power loss caused by Hurricane Sandy, according to the press release. This left several New York gas stations without fuel for several days, DOE officials said. When New Yorkers drove to Connecticut to find an open gas station, they were faced with shortages in Connecticut, too.
“Like sandbags and stockpiles of food and medicine, this gasoline reserve is what the Northeast needs to be ready for supercharged storms from climate change,” U.S. Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., said in a statement. “This gasoline reserve will ensure that just because a dangerous storm soaks our region, it doesn”™t mean that consumers have to get soaked at the pump.”
