NYACS Applauds Voluntary Expansion of Gas Station Backup Power Program

ALBANY, NY (03/31/2014)(readMedia)-- Statement by James Calvin, President of the New York Association of Convenience Stores:

We commend Governor Cuomo and legislative leaders for crafting a sound, workable plan to expand backup power capacity to strategically located gas stations across Upstate New York as part of the new state budget.

This plan will provide incentives to gas stations on, or within half a mile of exits of, interstate highways to voluntarily equip their facilities to remain capable of pumping fuel in the event of a prolonged power outage.

The incentives are in the form of NYSERDA grants of either $10,000 to offset the cost of a transfer switch to which a portable generator can be connected when the need arises, or $13,000 toward the cost of both a transfer switch and permanent generator.

NYACS supported the concept of backup power program expansion as long as it was limited in scope, recognized regional differences in vulnerability of supply, and enabled gas station owners to recover costs. Governor Cuomo, Senate Leaders Skelos and Klein, and Assembly Speaker Silver have embraced these principles in designing a sensible program that will strengthen the resiliency of New York State's motor fuel infrastructure.