Pallone Blasts Trump Proposal to Sell off Gasoline reserve Created in Aftermath of Hurricane Sandy

Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr.  (NJ-06), the Ranking Member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, blasted the Trump administration for proposing to sell off the entire gasoline reserve created in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. In 2012, Sandy caused widespread issues related to the availability of gasoline. In response to help build a more secure and resilient energy infrastructure, the Energy Department, with the encouragement of Congressman Pallone, established the first federal regional refined petroleum product reserve containing gasoline. The Northeast Gasoline Supply Reserve would assist New Jersey, New York and other states in the Northeast during an emergency.

“President Trump may have forgotten the devastation that Sandy brought to New Jersey, but my constituents and I have not. Access to gasoline was severely limited in the aftermath of the storm, causing major problems in the region impacting homeowners, businesses and emergency personnel.  We learned hard lessons from this experience and put in place a plan to make the region more resilient when another storm strikes. With many New Jerseyans still rebuilding, it is stunningly shortsighted for President Trump to abandon a measure that can save our economy and even save lives in an emergency.”