New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Michael Bloomberg tried to ease tensions in New York City Sunday at a news conference. The governor said it would be a couple of days before the regional gas shortage was resolved. The shortages at the pump stem from power failures in the electricity grid due to Superstorm Sandy. Many gas stations have not been operating – not necessarily because they don’t have gas – but because they don’t have electricity to operate their pumps. Yesterday in New York, 27 percent of gas stations surveyed by the Energy Department’s data arm were without fuel, compared with 38 percent on Saturday, according to Reuters.
The New York National Guard distributed 30,000 gallons of gasoline to bring some relief to people trying to fuel their cars and generators. Hess Corporation published information on stock levels at its northeast gas stations, encouraging customers to visit those stations that have more than 7,000 gallons in stocks.
Hess Corporation also has donated $5 million to relief efforts in New York and New Jersey.
“To support the relief efforts, we are donating $2.5 million to the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City under the direction of Mayor Michael Bloomberg and $2.5 million to New Jersey under the direction of Governor Chris Christie,” said John Hess, chairman and CEO of Hess Corporation in a statement.
In addition, Hess has offered a matching gift program for employees who wish to make a personal contribution to the relief efforts.