Just in… The weather here in New England, especially in Maine is FRIDGED.

Direct from the portland press

Emergency act waives rules for delivery of heating fuel — Drivers will be allowed to stay on the road longer to supply Mainers with oil and propane

Bottlenecks in the East Coast’s propane delivery network have tightened supplies of the fuel that can be used for heating, even as the region dives further into subzero temperatures.

That means the gov has given the OK to let these drivers stay out longer to fill up tanks so people won’t go cold.

What that also means… these poor souls (who are already pushed during the busy season) will get pushed some more. Now remember these people don’t just drive they actually pile out of the truck and deliver. That means they get tired faster and being on the road longer means a greater chance of accidents.

Hey if it’s just heating oil, the flammable temp is pretty high so it’s not going to explode. The flash point of heating oil is so low you could essentially be driving a truck full of fire wood.

Now PROPANE on the other hand has a wicked flash point… Think of the homes that blew up in Jersey a bit ago when there was a small propane leak that ignited and turned homes to matchsticks.

Now we have these propane bombs on wheels tooling around the highways and neighborhoods with skilled hard working (read TIRED) guys making their delivery’s.

Is it really necessary to keep people warm?

Is there another way to make sure that people don’t go with out or is it a political gambit to get some press during the heating season?

If the companies are delivering and filling up there’s no way a person is going to go through a full tank (even the smaller tanks) of fuel in a week.

Take a heating oil tank for example… the smallest are 250 gallons. A standard burner runs through a gallon – 1.5 in an hour (approximate) and the furnaces don’t run 24 hours a day.

Lets do the math… Burner runs even in this harsh cold… 12 hours / day * 1.5 gallons / hr = almost 14 days (2 full weeks) on 250 gallons.

That’s 2 weeks between fill ups with the premise that the burner will run 12 hours a day. Fact is 250 gallons will last most people 30 days.

Are you willing to put these drivers lives in danger and yours too?

This is a necessary step to ensure that during the prolonged deep freeze, people and businesses get timely heating fuel deliveries,” said Gov. John Baldacci in declaring a state of emergency on Friday.

I’ll bet that the people in Maine will be paying higher prices then the rest of the country, especially when they make public this little ditty…

disrupted when a tanker ship bound for the terminal had a collision at sea, Linton said. The ship had to be taken to a port and off-loaded, and Newington got a smaller delivery, late.

What’s the real deal mainers?