Source: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/rules/7620/full
Timestamp: 2019-06-17 03:45:21
Document Index: 269095053

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 7620', 'art 7620', 'art 1', 'art 6', 'arts 7620', 'art 7620', 'art 1', 'art 6', 'art 7620', 'art 7620', 'art 11', 'art 7620', 'arts 1400', 'arts 7620', 'art 7620', 'art 7620', 'art 3', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'arts 7620', 'arts 7620', 'arts 7620', 'art 490', 'arts 7620', 'art 5205', 'art 3', 'art 7620', 'art 2', 'arts 7620', 'arts 7620', 'art 9', 'art 5', 'art 7620', 'art 9', 'art 6', 'art 7', 'art 7620', 'art 7620', 'art 5', 'art 5', 'art 11', 'art 1', 'art 4', 'art 7620', 'art 4', 'art 6', 'art 1', 'art 11', 'art 7620', 'art 7', 'art 7620', 'art 9', 'art 1', 'art 7620', 'art 7620', 'art 7620', 'art 7620', 'art 19', 'art 7620', 'arts 7620', 'art 7620', 'art 7620', 'art 7']

CHAPTER 7620, PETROLEUM SUPPLY EMERGENCIES
7620.0120 AUTHORITY.
7620.0130 PURPOSE.
7620.0140 SCOPE OF RULES.
7620.0200 ENERGY SUPPLY ALERT.
7620.0220 OPERATING ORGANIZATION DURING EMERGENCY.
7620.0310 CONTENT OF APPEAL.
7620.0320 TIMING AND PROCEDURES.
7620.0400 PRIORITY USES OF FUEL OIL.
7620.0420 SEVERE SHORTAGE.
FUEL OIL EMERGENCY MEASURES
7620.0500 DECLARATION AND SELECTION OF MEASURES.
7620.0520 MANDATORY MEASURES.
7620.0530 MEASURES FOR SEVERE SHORTAGES.
7620.0540 SELECTION OF MOTOR EMERGENCY MEASURES.
MOTOR FUEL EMERGENCY MEASURES
7620.0610 EMPLOYER-BASED MOTOR FUEL CONSERVATION MEASURE.
7620.0620 SCHOOL CONSERVATION MEASURE.
7620.0630 ODD-EVEN PURCHASE REQUIREMENT MEASURE.
7620.0640 MINIMUM PURCHASE REQUIREMENT MEASURE.
7620.0650 FLAG REQUIREMENT FOR MOTOR FUEL RETAILERS.
7620.0670 STRICT ENFORCEMENT OF POSTED HIGHWAY SPEED LIMITS.
SEVERE MOTOR FUEL EMERGENCY MEASURES
7620.0700 ORDERING.
7620.0720 SPEED LIMIT REDUCTION MEASURE.
7620.0730 DRIVING BAN MEASURE.
These parts are authorized by Minnesota Statutes, section 216C.15. These parts will also meet, in part, federal requirements set forth in the Emergency Energy Conservation Act of 1979, section 212, United States Code, 1976 and 1979 supplement III, title 42, section 8512.
These parts identify measures that may be used in the event of a petroleum supply emergency. The further purposes of these parts are: to protect the health and safety of the citizens of the state by ensuring that certain priority petroleum users have sufficient fuel to conduct essential activities; to facilitate the distribution of supplies to the public in a fair manner; to identify and authorize the actions to be undertaken by governmental agencies in an energy supply emergency; to describe the responsibilities of major employers and school district authorities in petroleum supply emergency planning and implementation; to establish an appeals system and procedures for exemptions from and exceptions to emergency measures; and to authorize the state executive to provide for the public health, safety, and welfare during an energy supply emergency.
These parts shall apply:
generally, during a declared energy supply emergency (see part 7620.0210);
generally, during a declared energy supply alert (see part 7620.0200); and
to the Minnesota Department of Commerce when the department is preparing to recommend that an energy supply alert or an energy supply emergency be declared.
L 1983 c 289 s 115 subd 1; L 1987 c 312 art 1 s 9; L 2001 1Sp4 art 6 s 1
An energy supply alert shall be declared to inform Minnesota citizens of a potential energy shortage, encourage conservation, and initiate a state of readiness for the shortage.
An energy supply alert may be declared when the department forecast indicates a reasonable likelihood that an energy supply shortage will occur within six months from the date of declaration.
The commissioner shall have sole responsibility for declaring an energy supply alert.
Energy emergency operating center.
During a declared energy supply emergency, the division will set up an energy operating center.
The director of the emergency operating center will be the division director. The division director shall oversee the implementation of the emergency plan.
The emergency operating center will be located at a site designated by the division director and staffed by personnel from the division, the department and other state agencies as deemed necessary by the division director and approved by the governor.
The department shall assist the division by analyzing the energy supply situation, evaluating alternative courses of action included in the emergency plan, and advising on the proper time and sequence for implementing emergency measures.
The department shall select and recommend to the governor the least restrictive measures specified in parts 7620.0500 to 7620.0730, capable of eliminating a fuel shortage.
The assistant commissioner shall review employer and school district conservation plans and certify those which meet the requirements set out in part 7620.0620 or 7620.0630.
The commissioner shall make the final decision on each appeal taken from measures contained in these parts.
The division shall implement the energy emergency plan and coordinate the emergency operations of government agencies involved in energy supply emergency actions.
The division shall use the regional and local fuel coordinators to coordinate emergency operations throughout the state.
By January 1, 1983, the Division of Emergency Management shall develop an internal management and operations plan for implementing the measures contained in these parts.
Directing state agencies.
The governor may order any state agency or department to carry out the measures contained in these parts under the powers given the governor in the Minnesota Civil Defense Act, Minnesota Statutes, chapter 12.
L 1983 c 289 s 115 subd 1; L 1987 c 71 s 2; c 312 art 1 s 9; L 2001 1Sp4 art 6 s 1
Action related to declared energy supply emergency.
An appeal from an action taken pursuant to a declared energy supply emergency or under authority of these parts shall be in writing and signed by the appellant. The appeal shall state:
full identification of appellant and where appellant can be located to receive notice of decision;
the action from which the appeal is made, including the individual or unit of government taking the action, and the date and nature of the action;
the bases of the appeal, including the reasons the appellant believes the action to be unjust or unwise;
the names and addresses of persons known to the appellant who might be adversely or beneficially affected by the outcome of the appeal;
the nature of the relief sought, whether reversal, modification, or some other relief.
The appeal of a decision not to certify an employer conservation plan or of an order to implement all or any part of an approved conservation plan shall include a description of the existing or proposed conservation programs through which the employer claims compliance with part 7620.0610. In the case of an appeal from a decision not to approve part 7620.0610, subpart 11, item A employer plans (submitted after an energy supply emergency is declared), the appeal shall also contain documentation of the methodology on which the claim of motor fuel savings or program performance is based and a calculation of appellant's baseline consumption.
Within three working days after receipt of an appeal, the local conservation board or administrative law judge, whichever is appropriate, shall set a hearing date. The hearing shall be held as soon as practicable but not later than seven working days after receipt of the appeal, unless appellant requests a later hearing date. The chair of the local conservation board (or designate), or the administrative law judge, shall notify all known affected persons, either verbally or in writing, of the appeal and the time and place for the hearing, not less than two working days before the hearing. An appeal shall be considered received when it has arrived at the appropriate location designated in part 7620.0300. A local energy conservation board may convene at any location within its jurisdiction for expediting appeals and decreasing the distance to the hearing for appellants.
Appeals shall be governed by the Administrative Procedure Act, Minnesota Statutes, chapter 14 and the rules of the Office of Administrative Hearings, parts 1400.5010 to 1400.8400, except that during an energy supply emergency the provisions of parts 7620.0300 to 7620.0340 shall supersede the above-cited rules wherever the two conflict with one another.
The parties to an appeal from actions taken during a declared energy supply emergency shall be the appellant and the emergency operating center. Appeals from a decision not to certify an employer or school district conservation plan shall name the assistant commissioner as a party to the appeal.
A party may be represented by counsel.
Compliance by appellant.
An appellant subject to provisions of these parts must comply with all applicable mandatory measures or requirements pending a final decision on the appeal. A final decision shall be made under part 7620.0340.
Informal disposition of an appeal or any issue in an appeal may be made at any point in the proceeding by stipulation, agreed settlement, or consent order between the appellant and the emergency operating center. In the case of employer and school district conservation plans, the assistant commissioner shall have the power to informally dispose of an appeal by agreement or consent order.
Appellant's failure to appear.
Failure of an appellant to appear after timely notice is sufficient cause for denial of an appeal.
Operating center's failure to appear.
The failure of the emergency operating center to appear at a hearing of a local energy conservation board on an appeal from an emergency measure shall not constitute a default or bar the commissioner from reversing the board's decision so long as the commissioner complies with the timing provisions in part 7620.0340, subpart 3.
The administrative law judge or local energy conservation board may order a prehearing conference to be held at any time prior to a hearing, if a conference may simplify the issues or provide an opportunity for settlement. If a prehearing conference is ordered, notice of the time and place of the conference shall be served on all parties to the appeal not less than two working days before the date of the conference.
Appeals not to be heard.
Appeals shall not be heard if received more than ten working days after the termination or expiration of the energy supply emergency.
L 1984 c 640 s 32; L 1987 c 312 art 1 s 9, c 384 art 2 s 1; 26 SR 391
The priority ranking set out below, and the allocation and conservation measures contained in parts 7620.0500 to 7620.0530, are intended to reduce the demand for petroleum products used for heating and power generation and ensure that the necessary fuel requirements of higher priority consumers are met before the lower priority consumers.
In an energy supply emergency resulting from a shortage of fuel oil, highest priority uses are those essential for the health and safety of the citizens of the state. Uses within categories are not ranked by preference.
First priority fuel oil uses are:
health and residential care services;
Second priority fuel oil uses are those necessary to minimize the economic disruption of a fuel oil shortage. Second priority fuel oil uses are:
cargo and freight hauling, except for the first priority uses as defined in item A;
personal motor transportation. Diesel-powered automobiles shall be subject to all the provisions of the motor fuel measures described in parts 7620.0600 to 7620.0730.
Third priority uses are those not essential for the immediate health and safety of the citizens of the state. These include:
schools and religious institutions;
government, except those services listed in item A;
commerce, except those services listed in item A;
industry, except those services listed in item A.
In an energy supply emergency, suppliers shall be requested to deliver fuel oil to higher priority consumers before lower priority consumers, where no practicable substitute fuels are available.
Vehicles considered to be transporting agricultural products must have the words "first priority agricultural product" on their bill of lading or must be visibly transporting first priority agricultural products.
Fuel oil users may apply for state set-aside product if fuel oil becomes otherwise unobtainable, according to state set-aside application procedures developed according to Minnesota Statutes, section 216C.16. Preference shall be given higher priority consumers over lower priority consumers in the assignment of state set-aside product.
If the commissioner determines that the supply shortfall of petroleum and petroleum products is so severe that the existing production and distribution system is incapable of providing adequate supplies to all first priority consumers of motor fuel or diesel fuel, then the commissioner shall advise the governor that deliveries to otherwise priority consumers be curtailed, so that higher priority consumers will be provided the necessary fuel to continue essential operations. The governor may order the curtailment of priority consumers when in the governor's judgment, the available supply best serves to preserve the health and safety of the citizens of the state when put to a higher priority use.
Upon declaration of an energy supply emergency for petroleum, the governor shall select from the following measures in parts 7620.0510 to 7620.0530 to reduce the shortage of fuel oil.
Commercial buildings shall be ordered to comply with the standards that were set in the Emergency Building Temperature Restrictions (EBTR), Code of Federal Regulations 1979, title 10, part 490. Buildings which were exempted under EBTR are exempted from this part.
No smoking; reduced ventilation.
Smoking within buildings shall be prohibited and reduction of the amount of outside air entering the building ventilation systems may be ordered.
Electric utilities measures.
Electric utilities with oil-fired generating facilities which are members of the mid continent area power pool shall be ordered to use oil of a quality not suitable for home heating or to shut down these plants and purchase power from the pool when power from nonpetroleum-fired generating facilities is available from the pool.
Slowed deliveries of fuel oil.
Fuel oil suppliers shall be ordered to stop deliveries to large users (1,000 gallon or larger storage tanks) until those users have less than one week's fuel oil supply on hand.
Conversion to residual oil.
Business, industrial, and government institutions which now burn middle distillate, natural gas, or propane and which have the capacity to burn residual oil shall be ordered to convert to residual oil during the emergency, unless such action is specifically prohibited by other law or rule of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency or other agency. Each firm or institution required to convert to residual oil shall be notified at least ten days prior to the effective date of the measure of the state's intent to implement this measure.
When the department determines that actions listed in parts 7620.0510 and 7620.0520 have not been or will not be sufficient to eliminate the shortage the following measures may be selected by the governor:
Owners/operators of commercial, industrial, and government buildings shall be ordered to reduce heating thermostats to 62 degrees Fahrenheit during the day where such action does not violate part 5205.0110, subpart 3 of the Department of Labor and Industry, and 50 degrees Fahrenheit at night or during unoccupied periods.
Emergency rules shall be ordered adopted or rules may be ordered suspended to relax environmental standards, where such action would yield significant fuel oil savings.
Delivery of fuel oil supplies to specific industrial sectors, including commerce and government, shall be ordered to be curtailed according to the following criteria. A curtailment order shall be in writing signed by the division director, and shall be delivered by registered mail to firms in the industrial sectors and area suppliers at least ten days prior to the effective date of the measure.
Order of curtailment will be based on an industry's energy labor ratio, defined as the sum of natural gas and fuel oil consumption Btu's per year per employee. The industrial sector with the highest energy labor ratio will be the first to be curtailed, and so on. Such action will be rescinded in reverse order according to the industry's energy labor ratio.
First priority uses under part 7620.0400, subpart 2 will be the last to be curtailed. Second priority uses will be curtailed after third priority uses.
A firm within an industrial sector may be exempted from curtailment of fuel oil deliveries if it can demonstrate that its energy labor ratio is significantly below the industry average of the industrial sector because of conservation or conversion efforts. Exceptions may be granted on appeal pursuant to parts 7620.0310 to 7620.0340.
A firm's energy labor ratio shall be determined by dividing the consumption of natural gas and fuel oil per employee by the ratio of its local degree days to the statewide average degree days of 8,400. The 30-year average of degree days shall be used.
The order of curtailment and energy labor ratios for industrial sector groupings and associated standard industrial classification codes will be compiled by the department and published biennially in the State Register during the month of October.
Homeowners and renters may be requested to close homes and move in with friends, relatives, or into emergency shelters. The emergency operating center shall assist in this effort by designating shelters, aiding in securing homes, and providing emergency transportation.
Actions available for implementation under parts 7620.0510 and 7620.0520 will remain available under this part.
Upon declaration of an energy supply emergency based upon a petroleum shortage, the governor shall select from the following measures to reduce a motor fuel shortage.
The purpose of this measure is to conserve motor fuel by requiring certain employers to reduce employee commuting and business-related motor fuel consumption in an energy supply emergency. The department shall inform affected employers before May 25, 1983, of the requirements for participating in the employer-based conservation measure. The governor may not implement this measure before May 25, 1983.
The following employers are required to comply with the provisions of this measure:
employers who have employment sites where 100 or more persons are employed during the course of any 24-hour period during a normal work week;
all educational institutions at the postsecondary school level with a total combined student faculty commuting population of 200 or more persons, including colleges, universities, and technical colleges; and
state, county, and municipal governments who have employment sites where 50 or more persons are employed.
Employers having fewer employees at a location shall be encouraged to adopt strategies listed under this subpart or implement any other conservation activity which reduces employee-commuting and business-related motor fuel consumption.
Technical assistance in the preparation of emergency motor fuel conservation plans will be provided by the department upon request.
Employer plans may be submitted to the department for each applicable site or in conjunction with a business consortium, community, local, municipal, or county-wide plan, so long as each employer subject to this part identifies the conservation strategies adopted for each work site and the program elements listed under subpart 9.
Employers may choose to submit energy conservation plans to the department before the declaration of an energy emergency in the form and manner provided in subpart 5 or 6.
Employer emergency motor fuel conservation plan.
Employers may submit an emergency motor fuel conservation plan that demonstrates how employee-commuting and business travel motor fuel consumption would be reduced during an energy supply emergency. The employer may choose conservation strategies which achieve the required reduction.
Employer plans must contain conservation strategies which taken together would reduce an employer's baseline consumption by 15 percent.
Employers submitting self-styled emergency motor fuel conservation plans shall include a calculation of their baseline consumption as defined in part 7620.0100, the expected motor fuel savings attributed to the selected strategies, and the plan elements described in subpart 9.
Employers will be credited for travel reduction actions taken prior to submission of their plans that yield ongoing fuel savings.
The assistant commissioner may decline to certify an employer plan submitted under this paragraph which fails to support the level of savings attributed to each of the proposed activities. Self-styled employer plans may contain any of the strategies provided in subpart 6.
Employer motor fuel reduction strategies.
Employers shall select at least four strategies from the categories I and II, but in no case less than one from category I.
Category I strategies:
Establish a carpool program for employees. An employer rideshare program may be independently sponsored or provided in conjunction with a local or community ridesharing program. A rideshare program must minimally provide for: promotion of ridesharing through company bulletins, advertisements, and policies; the capability to match employees to carpools through ride boards, computer listings, or other methods which provide information necessary to match rideshare applicants; and a rideshare coordinator who will be responsible for the sponsored program.
Sponsor an employee vanpool program. An employer may purchase, rent, lease, or otherwise provide employees with vans for commuting to and from work. The employer may demonstrate an equivalent level of employee participation in an independent or employee-owned vanpool, but in any case shall maintain a participation rate of at least seven percent of total employment to qualify as providing a vanpool program.
Provide an auxiliary transportation service (e.g., subscription bus or shuttle service) or participate in a consortium of two or more employers to provide the service. A qualifying auxiliary transportation service shall consist of vehicles with a minimum carrying capacity of 20 passengers, a participation rate of 50 percent of employees who live within a three-mile radius of the work site, or the equivalent number, and at least one commuter check point at least five miles from the work site.
Employer-sponsored rideshare programs which fulfill the requirements of subpart 7 will be certified by the department. Employers may issue "identifying" rideshare stickers to qualifying employees' vehicles. Rideshare vehicles will be eligible to purchase fuel as priority vehicles under the flag system described in part 7620.0650 and will be exempt from the odd-even purchase restriction described in part 7620.0630.
Category II strategies:
Adopt and enforce a parking management strategy which provides for preferential parking for high-occupancy vehicles in employer parking lots or subsidizes at least 20 percent of the cost of contract parking in independently operated parking facilities for employee carpools, or both.
Prohibit the use of company-owned vehicles for single occupancy commuting and adopt a policy of using company vehicles for employee carpools.
Purchase an electric or electric hybrid vehicle.
Promote transit use by employees through direct sale of transit passes at the work site, fare subsidies, or display of direct and connecting routes serving the work site.
Provide facilities which promote employee commuting by bicycle or moped. These facilities might include indoor or sheltered bicycle parking, high security bicycle parking, showers and dressing areas for bikers.
Participate with a rideshare agency to provide jitney service to persons requesting travel to a destination on or near the route taken for business purposes. An employer-owner or employee-owned vehicle used for business purposes may be used for the jitney service.
Institute flexible or staggered work hours.
Participate in an independently sponsored truck and bus fuel economy project which offers both energy-conscious driver education and instruction on fuel-economizing vehicle maintenance and accessories. Employers choosing this strategy must maintain a fleet of at least ten vehicles used for cargo and freight hauling.
Content of conservation plan.
An employer submitting an emergency motor fuel conservation plan according to subpart 5 or 6 shall identify in its plan the following:
the carpool, vanpool, or subscription bus program sponsored or subscribed to, and an estimate of the number of employees currently using and expected to use such services;
title of the person or persons responsible for supervising each plan component;
the internal media to be used to inform employees of the employer's program;
the administrative assistance and in-house resources that the employer will provide for employee ridesharing services;
the schedule for implementing chosen strategies; and
the personnel (by title or position) that will perform essential plant protection for the firm during a driving ban.
Employers actions upon governor's order.
Employers shall institute all strategies contained in an approved employer conservation plan when the governor orders the employer-based motor fuel conservation measure.
Employers without conservation plan.
Employers who do not have an approved emergency motor fuel conservation plan before the declaration of an energy supply emergency for motor fuel shall:
submit to the department within 15 days after declaration of an energy supply emergency for motor fuel a plan to reduce baseline consumption by at least 15 percent over a period of three months or longer; or
institute a compressed work week pursuant to an executive order of the governor that designates the weekday on which employers not qualifying under subpart 5, 6, or 11, item A, shall not perform or have an employee perform any activity related to the business except where:
business- or employment-related activity can be performed at an employer's or employee's place of residence;
activities required in certain industrial processes must operate continuously to prevent long-term or irreparable damage to a system or process; and
plant protection requires a minimum level of attention or surveillance.
the following businesses or governmental activities shall be exempt from a compressed work week regardless of subpart 11:
public or private services essential to public health and safety such as health and residential care facilities, medical facilities, law enforcement activities, and emergency services;
The emergency operating center shall publicly announce the implementation of the employer-based conservation measure at least ten days prior to the effective date of the measure.
L 1987 c 258 s 12, c 312 art 1 s 9; L 1989 c 246 s 2
The purpose of this measure is to conserve motor fuel by requesting schools to adopt strategies to reduce student commuting and school-sponsored activities in an energy supply emergency.
Each school district, as defined by the Education Code, Minnesota Statutes, chapters 120 to 129, and nonpublic schools, as defined in Minnesota Statutes, section 123B.41, subdivision 9, which have a combined student staff population of 100 persons or more, is requested to comply with this measure.
Submission of conservation plan.
School boards are requested to voluntarily submit to the department before April 1, 1984, or within 45 days after declaration of an energy supply emergency, whichever comes first, an emergency motor fuel conservation plan as defined in subpart 4 or 5.
School emergency conservation plan: option A.
School districts may submit a self-styled conservation plan including any conservation strategies that taken together would have an objective of reducing baseline consumption by approximately 15 percent during an energy supply emergency.
Self-styled conservation plans are requested to include:
a calculation of the baseline consumption, defined in part 7620.0100, subpart 4;
the expected motor fuel savings attributed to each selected strategy; and
the plan elements described in subpart 6.
School districts will be credited for travel-reduction actions taken prior to submission of their plans that yield ongoing motor fuel savings.
School emergency conservation plan: option B reduction strategies.
Option B reduction strategies:
School districts are requested to select at least three strategies from the following categories, with at least one strategy being from category I.
Category I strategies consist of:
Prohibiting student parking on school grounds and requesting local authorities to pass or enforce parking restrictions in areas adjacent to a school for the duration of the emergency. Exemptions from the parking prohibition may be granted to students who: have no alternative transportation to school, have special medical needs that prevent use of alternative methods of traveling to school, have job requirements that demand access to automobile transportation, or are members of a carpool registered with the school rideshare coordinator.
Postponement or cancellation of extracurricular activities, including athletic events, until the termination of an energy supply emergency for motor fuel.
Cancellation of two school days for each 30-day declared energy emergency period.
Category II strategies consist of:
Establishment or sponsorship of a student/staff rideshare program. A student/staff rideshare program may be organized independently or in conjunction with a local or community rideshare program. It is recommended that a rideshare program provide for: promotion of ridesharing through school policies and newspapers or other publications, the capability to match students or staff carpools through ride boards, manual or computer listings, or other methods which provide information necessary to match rideshare applicants, and a school rideshare coordinator who will be responsible for the school ridesharing program.
Adoption and enforcement of a parking management strategy which gives preferential parking to high-occupancy vehicles in student parking lots or requires fees for parking on school grounds.
Provision of indoor or sheltered bicycle parking with a capacity for at least five percent of the student body.
Elimination of on the road driver education for the period of the emergency.
Cancellation or rescheduling of some extracurricular activities. Selection of this strategy is not encouraged if category I, strategy (2) has been chosen and applies when the governor orders the school conservation measure.
Participation in an independently sponsored school bus fuel economy program.
Contents of school district conservation plans.
Emergency motor fuel conservation plans submitted by school districts are requested to include:
the title of the person or position responsible for implementing the plan during an energy supply emergency for motor fuel;
the internal media to be used to inform school staff and students of a school district program measure; and
the implementation schedule for category II, strategies (1), (2), (3), and (6).
L 1987 c 312 art 1 s 9; L 1998 c 397 art 11 s 3
The purpose of the odd-even purchase requirement is to conserve motor fuel and facilitate the orderly purchase of motor fuel by alternating the days of purchase eligibility.
Retail sales and purchases of motor fuel shall be restricted to even-numbered days of the month for persons in possession of vehicles whose license plate numbers end in one of the even digits 0, 2, 4, 6, 8; and to odd-numbered days of the month for persons in possession of vehicles whose license plate numbers end in the odd digits 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9.
Specialty and personalized license plates which display no ending numeral are deemed to be "odd" for purposes of the purchase requirement.
The restrictions in this part shall not apply on the 31st day of any month or on the 29th day of February in a leap year.
The following vehicles shall be exempt from the odd-even purchase requirement (motor fuel may be purchased for them on any day of the week):
Vehicles being driven for any first priority use defined in part 7620.0410. For the odd-even purchase requirement, vanpools will be those vehicles either displaying a "vanpool" designation issued by a vanpool leasing agency, vanpool services agency, or employer, or carrying at least eight passengers on a work commuting trip.
Ridesharing vehicles identified by employers with state certified conservation plans, as described in subpart 7.
Commercial vehicles, as defined in part 7620.0100, subpart 9.
Vehicles operated by a person with a disability and displaying a disability license plate or other special identification.
Vehicles with out-of-state license plates.
Vehicles not licensed for highway use.
Vehicles held for sale by a licensed motor vehicle dealer in the ordinary course of business.
Vehicles being operated by individuals under emergency circumstances which in the judgment of the retailer demand an exception. If such an exception is granted by the retailer, the license number and signature of the person granted the exception shall be obtained.
L 1987 c 312 art 1 s 9; L 2005 c 56 s 2
The purpose of this measure is to decrease vehicle lines at motor fuel retail outlets by reducing the frequency of fillups.
Motor fuel shall not be sold, dispersed, or otherwise transacted by a motor fuel retailer for use in any vehicle unless the amount transacted and dispersed is at least five gallons. In the event the quantity purchased is less than the five-gallon minimum, the purchaser shall pay the retailer an additional amount so that the total transaction price is equal to the stated pump price times the five-gallon minimum.
In any single transaction, not more than six gallons of motor fuel may be sold or dispensed into a container, other than the fuel tank of a vehicle, to be transported away from the premises of the retail seller. Such containers must meet applicable safety requirements.
Display of notice.
A person selling motor fuel in transactions to which provisions of this part apply shall display at the point of sale notice of such provisions.
Both the motor fuel retailer and the vehicle operator are required to comply with the provisions of this part.
The following users are not required to purchase a minimum amount:
Vehicles being driven for first priority uses, as defined in part 7620.0410. For the minimum purchase requirement, vanpools are those vehicles either displaying a "vanpool" designation issued by a vanpool-leasing agency or vanpool services agency, or carrying at least eight passengers on a work-commuting trip.
Motorcycles and mopeds and similar three-wheeled vehicles.
Out-of-state licensed vehicles.
Vehicles held for sale or lease by licensed motor vehicle dealers in the ordinary course of business.
Vehicles being operated by individuals under emergency circumstances which in the judgment of the retailer demand an exception. If such an exception is granted by the retailer the license number and signature of the person granted the exception shall be obtained.
The purposes of this measure are to signal to motorists availability of motor fuel for purchase at stations through the display of flags and to permit retailers to limit sales to priority users only.
Each motor fuel retail station shall clearly indicate its motor fuel supply and servicing status by displaying a flag of one of the three colors listed below:
A green flag indicates that motor fuel is available to the public subject to the purchase restrictions imposed by these parts. A station flying a green flag cannot show preference to any customer, except that emergency vehicles may be allowed to move to the front of an existing line to be fueled.
A yellow flag indicates that motor fuel is available only to first priority vehicles, as defined in part 7620.0410, and to ridesharing vehicles which have been identified by employers according to the terms and provisions of a state-certified conservation plan, as described in part 7620.0610. A station flying a yellow flag shall not show preference in the sale of motor fuel to any priority vehicle.
A red flag indicates a station is out of fuel and/or is closed. No motor fuel may be dispensed from a station flying a red flag, except to emergency vehicles, as defined in part 7620.0100, subpart 19.
Description of flag; location.
Flags shall be square and at least two feet by two feet but no greater than three feet by three feet in size. They shall be made of cloth or plastic. Flags shall be located on the boulevard or near enough to the street to allow visibility of at least 100 yards in each direction of the station.
The purpose of this measure is to conserve motor fuel by strictly enforcing the current maximum speed limit on state highways.
Motorists shall strictly obey the maximum legal speed limit. Violations of the maximum legal speed limit during a declared energy supply emergency shall be subject to the additional penalties provided in part 7620.0240.
The governor shall request state, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies to intensify speed limit enforcement through personnel assignments and increased road surveillance.
When the department determines that the measures listed in parts 7620.0600 to 7620.0670 have not eliminated or will not eliminate the shortage of motor fuel, the governor may order any of the following measures.
This measure is intended to conserve motor fuel by reducing the maximum speed limit on all highways in Minnesota.
The governor upon the advice of the department shall order the commissioner of transportation to set a lower speed limit on all highways in Minnesota. The commissioner of transportation shall lower the speed limit during an energy supply emergency pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section 169.141.
Violation of the maximum limit during an energy supply emergency for motor fuel shall carry the additional penalties as provided in part 7620.0240.
The governor may request state, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies to intensify speed limit enforcement activities through personnel assignments and increased road surveillance efforts.
This measure is intended to conserve motor fuel by prohibiting the use and operation of all nonexempt motor vehicles for a specified 24-hour period.
Upon the department's determination that a 24-hour driving ban is necessary to reduce the demand for motor fuel, the governor may order an emergency driving ban. Upon the governor's order, the division director shall issue the order and a statement to the news media to be promptly disseminated and brought to the attention of the public. The statement shall state the designated date of the ban, the emergency services which will remain available during the ban, the enforcement actions to be taken, and the penalties imposed for violation of the ban. The statement shall be released at least five days prior to the imposition of the driving ban.
Unlawful public road use.
It shall be unlawful for anyone to operate a Minnesota registered and licensed motor vehicle on public roads during the period of driving ban.
The following motor vehicle uses shall be exempt from a driving ban:
sanitation services vehicles;
aviation ground support vehicles;
vehicles identified as required in part 7620.0620, subpart 7, item F and used by employees in commuting for the purposes of plant protection;
vehicles used in providing or transporting employees for emergency medical care, residential care, telecommunications services, energy production, and news reporting;
individuals who require daily medical treatment; and
Sticker or card.
Any vehicle registered and licensed by the state of Minnesota and operated during a driving ban shall prominently display a sticker or card that clearly identifies that vehicle as exempt. The governor may waive this requirement for any category of exempted user, for example, police, fire, ambulance, or aviation ground support vehicles.
The department will issue guidelines for identification of exempt vehicles prior to a driving ban.