State of emergency declared in New Jersey due to propane shortage

TRENTON, N.J. (WPVI) -- New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency due to an apparent propane shortage caused by a service disruption that began after a power outage at a major distribution plant in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania.

The emergency declaration went into effect at 9 a.m. Friday.

"As temperatures continue to drop, ensuring that every person has access to a safe, warm environment is essential," said Governor Murphy. "I am declaring a State of Emergency to ensure that the approximately 186,000 New Jerseyans who rely on propane for home heating purposes can receive it without interruption.

The outage occurred on Nov. 21, and the Energy Transfer plant in Marcus Hook has operated at limited capacity since Nov. 24, according to propane distributors.

The slowdown has caused major backups in deliveries across the state, where about 186,000 residents rely on propane for heat.

"Everybody needs to heat homes, and sometimes there just isn't enough," said Yamil Quintana, manager at Blue Flame, a propane supplier in Newfield.

Under the order, the maximum driving time for operators of commercial motor carriers transporting propane is extended from 11 hours to 14 hours, with 10 consecutive hours of off-duty time required between driving time.

Quintana said the extra time is critical because loading trucks now takes longer.

"It's taking longer to load, so they extended the hours so that propane can get to their providers," he said.

In Penns Grove, resident Darlene Williams said most homes in her community use propane.

"Around here, most of this is all propane," she said, adding that her family tries to conserve fuel. "We try to keep it down anyway, we don't let it go too too high because even propane is very expensive."

Officials and suppliers are urging residents to lower their thermostats when away from home to save energy and money during the emergency.