Superstorm Sandy punched a lot of holes in the tri-state’s climate defense — but one of the hardest problems to solve in the weeks that followed was how to re-supply gas stations.
The catastrophic storm surge damaged several New Jersey petroleum refineries and the result was a scary gasoline shortage. The supply chain disruptions left thousands of drivers lining up for hours a day — at the few service stations that had functioning pumps. The lines got so long, New York and New Jersey instituted emergency rationing systems whereby license plates with even numbers had access to gas one day, and odd numbers had access the next.
One of the worst hit refineries was the Phillips 66 Bayway facility in Linden. There, storm surge damaged pumps, electrical systems and the "racks" that put gas into delivery tankers. Fixing all of that waterlogged infrastructure took weeks, and industry insiders say similar disruptions at other petroleum facilities slowed gas deliveries to fill-up stations all over the tri-state.
Bernardo Fallas, a spokesman for Phillips 66, said ten years ago the company made arrangements with a third-party pipeline and was able to resume deliveries to wholesale customers in a matter of days. He said the company called in more than 100 employees from other areas of the country to help restart the refinery in the following weeks.
"Following Superstorm Sandy, we made physical improvements to our Bayway Refinery to better withstand major storms, including elevating electrical equipment and installing stronger storm doors to prevent flooding of the saltwater pump station," Fallas said.
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Phillips 66 declined to say how much money the company spent on storm resiliency in the years after Sandy or whether any steps have been taken to build up or fortify the shorelines of Morses Creek and the Arthur Kill, two bodies of water that sit yards away from critical petroleum infrastructure.
CITGO, which operates a terminal bordered by the Rahway River on one side and the Arthur Kill on the other, said the company has spent "millions" on recovery and resiliency projects, including rebuilding and elevating electrical substations that were flooded by Sandy. But CITGO also declined to say exactly how much has been spent on those projects – or if the shorelines next to its facilities are any better protected.
In 2015, the nonprofit Union of Concerned Scientists published a report that found 120 oil and gas facilities located within 10 feet of the local high tide line. And the group has also raised concern about electric plants situated along vulnerable shores.
Consolidated Edison’s 13th Street substation on Manhattan’s East Side was devastated by three feet of storm surge when Sandy churned up the East River. Since then, the electric utility says it has spent $180 million dollars on hardening that substation alone.
The upgrades include building flood walls around the relay room, elevating electrical panels and breakers, and constructing a brand new control room on the second floor of the facility, instead of the ground floor.
Steve Clemmer, Director of Energy Research and Analysis for the Union of Concerned Scientists, said Con Ed’s substation fortification is good example of the kind of work needed at lots of power plants that sit near coastal waters. But he worries rising energy prices may dissuade energy companies from making those kinds of expensive investments. To do so, gas and electric rates may have to rise even more.
“I do have big concerns about that,” Clemmer said.
He’s urging energy producers and ratepayers to take the long view, investing in storm hardening now because the economic costs will be higher in the future.
“The [storm] events themselves are devastating, but then the follow-up to that, when we don’t have electricity or we aren’t able to get gas for our cars, can have equal or greater impact economically," he said.
