Lawmakers have taken the first steps toward allowing coin- or credit card-operated propane dispensing devices at fuel stations in the state, The Times-Picayune reports. Without opposition, the House Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works has sent to the House floor a bill by Rep. Stephen Ortego, D-Carencro, that would promote the widespread use of propane gas for vehicles. State law now prohibits the general use of self-service pumps for propane. Ortego says state law currently requires a user to have a card-lock system on the vehicle and to visit a dealer to have its tank filled, normally under a contract. The dealer is also required to provide the buyer with written instructions on how to use the system safely. Ortego says his House Bill 1061 would repeal both of those provisions and make propane more available to the public. The bill would authorize the sale of propane to the general public at retail outlets, but would require each dispensing unit or pump to have “step-by-step” instructions informing the buyer how to safely use the pump and transfer it to the vehicle. “We are trying to keep up with the rest of America,” says John W. Alario, director of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Commission, which would oversee the propane program. “It is nearly impossible for someone traveling from out-of-state to fill their cars” with propane in Louisiana without a pre-existing contract.
Editor’s note: This story has been changed since its original publication.
