Memorial Day Gas Shortage Possible in Michigan [Updated]

LANSING, MI – Gov. Rick Snyder on Tuesday declared a state of emergency in Michigan to ensure Memorial Day travelers in Michigan have adequate supplies of gas due to the shutdown of a fuel pipeline in Wisconsin and an unplanned outage of the Marathon refinery in Detroit heading into the holiday weekend.

Executive Order 2016-10 will allow those transporting fuel to spend more hours on the road to ensure fuels are available.

“We want to make sure the fuel Michiganders need for their travels to work, school or a long weekend trip is available,” Snyder said in a statement. “This executive order will help ensure there are no artificial shortages of fuel impacting the state’s residents or visitors.”

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The executive order suspends state and federal regulations related to hours-of-service for motor carriers and drivers transporting all transportation fuels within Michigan, enabling these individuals to exceed the number of hours and consecutive days in which they can operate a commercial motor vehicle. It does not waive any environmental rules or alter commercial arrangements.

Brader and her agency work with a variety of state agencies, including the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Michigan State Police, to make recommendations regarding the declaration of energy emergencies.