To prepare for future emergencies and severe weather events, New York State is implementing a 21st century fuel infrastructure protection strategy from the pipeline to the pump. As a crucial step, Former Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law the strongest protections in the nation to ensure that critical gas stations have back-up power capacity, making it possible to avoid long lines, get to work, and restore normalcy as quickly as possible after a major storm or other disaster.
Under the new State law, most gas stations in the downstate region located within ½ mile of highway exits or hurricane evacuation routes are required to have a transfer switch installed by April 1, 2014, and to deploy and install a generator within 24 hours of losing power during a fuel supply or energy emergency. In addition, chains of gas stations must have a transfer switch installed at an additional 30% of their stations under the same criteria by August 1, 2015.
