Sandy Calls for Temporary Fuel Waivers

If you were in Philadelphia, Southampton, or anywhere nearby during Hurricane Sandy, you know all about the damage it left in its wake. Homes and properties were destroyed, streets were left underwater, and millions were left without power for up to a few weeks. The East coast community (and the rest of the country) is doing what it can to come together and pick up the pieces. Neighbors are offering electricity, those in unaffected areas are traveling to provide clean-up supplies and a helping hand, and businesses are offering services for free to those who need them. The government is facing a number of other issues as well.

The officials of the state environment had to, under these rare circumstances, implement two types of fuel waivers temporarily as a result of the storm. This has been decided due to the fact that service teams have been struggling to offer power and heating to Southampton, Philadelphia, Bucks County, and other nearby locations under the limitations. During the time of the waivers being in effect, it was no longer required that the state use Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel fuel in mobile generators and pumps; additionally, the use of heating oil in diesel powered emergency vehicles will be temporarily allowed. In addition, the Department of Agriculture temporarily suspended the requirement of 2% biodiesel for on-road vehicles. 

These waivers have since expired, but the state of Pennsylvania is still recovering. Fuel prices and availability will likely be affected for an indefinite amount of time in some areas, and relief efforts continue to attempt to rebuild destroyed structures.

That being said, this was merely the first influx of bad weather Philadelphia is going to experience. The first ten days of November this year made up one of the coldest starts to the month that has ever been recorded in Philadelphia history. This is to be expected, considering the "Indian Summer" we have experienced, but meteorologists suggest we can expect to return to winter as usual now that the Hurricane has passed. Whether we have other potential power outages on the way or wintry storms to look forward to, it's never a bad idea to take the necessary precautions and winterize your garage, heating systems, and home.