EPA issues gasoline waivers post-Sandy

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WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has waived certain gasoline requirements under the Clean Air Act for areas affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Sandy, once a Category 1 hurricane, resulted in the deaths of at least 72 people and about 8 million households and business along the East Coast were without power at the storm's height. Power failures affected residents in 17 states.

Some oil refineries in New Jersey were closed ahead of the storm. Low demand for gasoline, however, left prices moderated.

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said there were "extreme and unusual supply circumstances" that warranted a waiver for certain federal clean gasoline requirements as mandated by the Clean Air Act.

The EPA waived restrictions in Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, District of Columbia, New York, Maryland, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

"The federal waiver will help ensure an adequate supply of fuels in the impacted states," the EPA said in a statement.

The EPA last issued waivers in September in response to Hurricane Isaac, a Category 1 storm that battered the southern U.S. coast.