Thursday, October 1, 2015

DeCroce Bill Ensuring More Fuel In Emergencies Signed Into Law As Hurricane Joaquin Threatens Coastal New Jersey

Assembly Republican Press Release -
Less than three years after Superstorm Sandy slammed the coast and as another hurricane churns its way toward New Jersey, legislation sponsored by Assembly Republican BettyLou DeCroce to ensure gasoline supplies during a state of emergency was signed into law by Governor Christie today.


“In a crisis, we want to protect people from being stranded and left in the cold,” said DeCroce, R-Morris, Essex and Passaic. ”After Sandy hit, gasoline became scarce in some hard-hit parts of the state. Desperate for fuel for their cars or generators, people waited in line for hours. Many filling stations simply ran out of gas. We can protect the public by making more fuel available during an emergency by allowing fuel dealers to sell higher grade fuel at the lower grade price. It’s a lesson we learned in Sandy.”
Previously, dealers were mandated to sell fuel at its posted price, which cannot be changed more than once during a 24 hour period. The new law allows a retailer to sell higher grade fuel at a lower price during an energy emergency when the dealer runs out of lower grade fuel.
DeCroce’s bill, A-1733 was unanimously approved by both the General Assembly and the Senate.