Governor Christie's revival of the odd-even license-plate system
for shrinking gas-station lines isn't the only big idea designed to
bring order to our lives in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
A Middlesex County legislator is drafting a bill to keep more gas
stations open during the next big storm. A Wyckoff councilman found
a spur-of-the-moment way to shorten gas-line waits for constituents.
And with a little foresight, the owner of a gas-and-electricity-
powered Chevy Volt managed to avoid long lines at the pump even
though the charging station at his Teaneck home lost its traditional
power source.
You might not like any of their ideas, but at least Barbara
Buono, Kevin Rooney and George Friedman took some initiative.
More Generators
State Senator Buono wants legislation to give gas stations
incentives to install gas generators at their electric pumps so they
can stay open when another Sandy kills power in the future.
"With more big storms hitting New Jersey than ever, we need to
take the same emergency precautions as Florida," Buono explained.
The Garden State hasn't yet been victimized as much as the
hurricane-prone Sunshine State, which mandates generators. But
Buono's idea sounded great last week while I was waiting for gas in
a 250-car line in Fort Lee. My Honda passed three stations that
either had run out of gas or had plenty of fuel but no electricity
to pump it. Last Friday, only 25 percent of North Jersey stations
were open.
"I don't like mandates," Buono, a Democrat, said on the phone as
I inched along. "But legislation could allow the state to negotiate
a bulk purchasing price for retail stations, and the Economic
Development Authority could provide low-interest loans to reduce
purchase costs."
The president of the gas retailers group that represents most of
New Jersey's 2,300 stations didn't exactly leap to endorse this big
idea.
"Fix the supply chain first," said Sal Risalvato. "Why spend
$8,000 for a generator if [gas distribution centers] can't get
supplies to our stations?"
Risalvato has a point, but at least one big chain -- Hess -- has
invested in generators for half its stations. If big storms keep
cutting heavily into the bottom line of small retailers, big chains
with big generators will likely blow more of the little guys out of
business.
Residents Only
About 500 Wyckoff residents were spared long waits when the local
Getty station began serving only drivers with licenses showing they
lived in the township.
The station is run by Councilman Rooney, a Republican who
justified the practice at a town meeting this way:
"My responsibility is to my residents. "If I have to take flack
for that, then so be it."
Wyckoff residents praised him, but out-of-town readers who were
kicked off the line were appalled.
"Elitist!" said Valerie Barber of Ringwood.
"Disgusting!" Midland Park's Ed Bell told my colleague, Rebecca
Greene of The Suburban News.
Local cops weren't outraged. They ordered people off the line
after checking their licenses.
Bergen County Police Chief Brian Higgins, whose department
oversees the county's Consumer Affairs Division, said preference
isn't listed in executive orders or state consumer laws covering gas
sales. "We got no formal complaints about this," Higgins said.
Still, it's surprising that Eileen Avia, Rooney's Democratic
opponent in Tuesday's election, didn't claim an ethics violation.
The Volt Advantage
Even though his Teaneck home lost electric power, George Friedman
managed to take advantage of his Chevy Volt's electric motor by
plugging it into his home charging station.
The secret: An $8,000 natural gas generator that powers his
entire house.
"I filled the Volt's tank before the storm, which gave me 300
reserve miles once the charge ran out," he said. "Only it never ran
out, because I charged it from my generator every night, so it still
has 300 miles in reserve."
Once he installed the generator after the October 2011 storm,
George claims he didn't visit a gas station until Labor Day.
A Parting Tip
Instead of waiting in a lengthy Fort Lee gas line, I should have
visited one of the two Sunoco stations on the Palisades Interstate
Parkway, which attracted only short lines during the crisis. The PIP
generally caters to drivers who stick to the highway. By staying in
Fort Lee, I was competing for gas with too many residents and
shoppers.
Maybe next time.
