Hearing for emergency generators for retailers bill

New Haven, Conn. (WTNH)-- It's just what you do before a storm hits.

"Just filling up the gas tank, getting some extra groceries for the weekend," said Ted Novicki, New Haven.

When asked what he was doing to prepare, Bob Butcher, of Clinton said, "well, I'm filling up my tank with gas."

And like many of us, Bob has a generator at home that needs gas too.

"We do. From the last storm. So we're prepared," said Butcher.

Lots of folks bought generators after the storms of the last two years, but what happens when you run out of gas for that generator and your local gas stations don't have power either?

We saw what happened after the Autumn Nor'easter of 2011. Cars lined up for hours waiting at the few gas stations that had power.

So one guy in Enfield had an idea.

Get the state to create some incentives for gas stations to get generators of their own, so they can stay open even in a blackout. That guy contacted a state Senator, and now that idea is a bill in Hartford. But not everyone likes the idea."

"100% totally against it. I wish somebody had done some investigation and talked to some gas stations," said Gerry Katz, of Katz's Shell Station.

The proposal would provide low interest loans to owners of gas stations, grocery stores and pharmacies, so they could buy the generators, and then a 10% break on the property tax on that generator. But the other 90% of the tax would add up to thousands of dollars for folks like Gerry Katz, and then there's the price of a generator big enough to run all his pumps.

"Anywhere from $50,000 to $75,000 and that doesn't include installation," said Katz.