Gas Lines Ease, but Shortages and Closed Stations Persist Across New York Region

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/06/nyregion/gas-lines-ease-but-shortages-persist-in-ny-region.html

Version 0 of 1.

The gas shortage that has strained the New York region seemed to ease on Monday as lines at many pumps shrank, more gas stations reopened and mandatory rationing was enforced in some areas.

In northern New Jersey, gas lines dwindled at some stations after state officials adopted a rationing system over the weekend that restricted gas sales to cars with license plates ending in even numbers on even days, and license plates ending in odd numbers (or not displaying a number) on odd days.

“That cut the lines in half,” said the Essex County executive, Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. “Instead of six miles, you have three miles, but there’s been improvement.”

Shorter lines — and waiting times — were reported across New Jersey and New York by elated drivers who posted their good news on Twitter, blogs and Web sites. In the Westchester suburbs, where the county executive, Robert P. Astorino, has urged residents not to top off their gas tanks, the Villages of Pleasantville and Pelham noted shorter gas lines in a conference call with county officials.

According to AAA, 60 to 65 percent of New York City gas stations were open Monday, up from 40 to 45 percent Friday, and 50 to 55 percent of Long Island stations were open, up from 35 to 40 percent. In New Jersey, it reported 55 to 60 percent of stations were open, up from 45 to 50 percent.

Even so, lines remained long enough at some stations that people posted ads on Craigslist offering to sell gas for a premium — $20 per gallon in one case.

Jeyaul Hoque, 31, a Queens cabdriver, said he paid two people $30 each to wait in line for him at a station on Sunday. “If I don’t get any gas, I’m going to lose more than $60,” he said.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said drivers’ hoarding of gas was contributing to the long lines.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said that 21 million gallons of gasoline had been delivered by barges to regional terminals over the weekend “and there’s more coming in.” He said the supply from interstate pipelines also continued to increase.

“It will take a little while to get the distribution to stations,” he said. “Until the bottleneck clears, lines at the pump probably will remain long.”

Mr. Bloomberg added that the city had stationed a police officer at every open gas station to help maintain order. “We ask motorists to be patient,” the mayor said. “And to please use mass transit as much as you can.”

The Homeland Security secretary, Janet Napolitano, who was visiting Coney Island, also urged people to conserve gas even as she reassured them that the shortage was temporary. “The gasoline is here,” she said. “It’s just a matter of getting it distributed.”

But some critics said that such efforts to reduce the gas shortage came too little, too late.

“It’s still a very bad situation,” said Anthony Michael Sabino, a Long Island lawyer specializing in the oil and gas industry who has been monitoring the gas shortage. “It’s been six full days since Sandy has hit and things are still far from normal.”

Sal Risalvato, executive director of NJGCA, the former New Jersey Gasoline Retailers Association, estimated that about 80 percent of the roughly 1,500 New Jersey gas stations north of Trenton were still closed on Monday. He said that many station owners were frustrated because they had no power, or no more gas to sell.

“People they can’t sell to are screaming at them,” he said.