Schumer, Gillibrand get federal funds for gas station generators
Senators act to prevent long lines at the pump
One of the enduring images of the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy was of the long lines of cars outside gas stations. Many of the stations were forced to close, not because they lacked gasoline, but because they had no electricity and therefore, had tanks incapable of pumping gas.
U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced on Jan. 16 that they secured $5.1 million in federal funds for gas station owners along highways and pivotal evacuation routes to purchase and install backup generators.
This grant, which is being awarded as part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) will offset 75 percent of the costs for gas station owners-operators who now need to comply with a new state law passed in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy that requires all gas stations within a half mile of a highway exit and-or hurricane evacuation route to have a transfer switch installed to deploy and install a generator within 24 hours of losing power during a fuel supply or energy emergency.