WASHINGTON -- A U.S. senator is urging the federal government to create a gasoline supply reserve in Florida to help the state deal with supply disruptions. The move comes after Hurricane Irma triggered a run on gasoline that left retailers in many Florida markets short of fuel.
In a letter to U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Rick Perry, Sen. Bill Nelson (D) of Florida asked the agency to create a gasoline-supply reserve similar to the Northeast Gasoline Supply Reserve (NGSR), which was set up in 2014 after Superstorm Sandy triggered supply shortages in that region.
“Florida is vulnerable to both extreme storms and fuel supply disruptions,” Nelson wrote. “A Florida gasoline supply reserve would ensure that residents and first responders have access to an emergency supply of fuel and help prevent the shortages that may have kept some from evacuating and may hinder recover efforts going forward.”
As of Sept. 18, more than a week after Hurricane Irma made landfall in Florida, many metropolitan markets in the state were still seeing stations with fuel outages in the double digits, according to GasBuddy.
Meanwhile, a state legislative committee is being formed to examine how to improve Florida’s preparation and response to hurricanes, the Orlando Sentinel reported. The speaker of the House, Rep. Richard Corcoran (R), is setting up the committee. The many gas shortages plaguing Florida after Hurricane Irma were caused by residents attempting to evacuate, Corcoran said. The committee would consider whether Florida should set up its own fuel-supply reserve in the central part of the state.
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