Dyed diesel will be allowed to be sold for on-road use and fuel merchants without import licenses will be allowed to buy fuel from out of state.
New Jersey state troopers on Saturday keep order as motorists line up to purchase gasoline at the Thomas A. Edison service area on the New Jersey Turnpike near Woodbridge, N.J.
And the Republican whip in the state Assembly is preparing legislation that would require New Jersey gas stations to have an emergency generator that could operate at least one gas pump, Scott Rumana announced today in a news release.
"Having had countless conversations with so many frustrated residents regarding their struggles to find fuel for their automobiles and home generators, it became clear that we need to fix the problem," Rumana, R-Passaic, Bergen, Essex and Morris, said in the news release. "With this bill we are seeking to address one component of this gas shortage crisis and hopefully avert the hardship so many residents have been living through."
Dyed diesel fuels can be sold for use by drivers on the state's roads until Nov. 20, Christie's office said in as news release. Dyed diesel is usually restricted to off-road use such as generators or agricultural equipment and is not subject to the state's motor fuel tax, the release said. It's dyed so inspectors can tell it from on-road diesel which is taxed, the release said.
Allowing the dyed fuel will help boost supplies, state Treasurer Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff said in the release.
"This is another prudent measure that will help New Jersey get past temporary fuel shortages caused by the storm," Sidamon-Eristoff said in the release. "Sandy's continuing effects on fuel supplies and the economy justify temporarily exempting truckers from the heavy penalties of using dyed fuel for on-road uses."
Fuel merchants without an import license will be allowed to buy fuel from out-of-state suppliers until Nov. 14, the release said. The waiver was set to end today. They must document their purchases and pay New Jersey taxes, the release said.
Fuel supplies tightened on the East Coast after Sandy as major refineries and pipelines shut down in the wake of the storm, according to the release. While many of them are back online, depleted reserves, damage to equipment and power outages are still leading to shortages, the release states.