[SEE NOTE AT BOTTOM OF ARTICLE WITH HELP FINDING GAS STATIONS]

With the traffic nightmare causing frustration for Tri-State area drivers Thursday morning, the lines at the gas pump aren’t making the commute any easier.

Filling up the tank has been a nightmare for area drivers since the storm hit. Overnight and into Thursday morning, drivers looking for fuel were met with incredibly long lines at the gas pump.

CBS 2′s Ann Mercogliano was on the scene along the Jersey Turnpike, where one driver waiting at the Alexander Hamilton rest area in Secaucus told CBS 2 he had been in line for about 30 minutes.

Despite the frustration, drivers appeared to be patient. Officials said more than 80 percent of New Jersey gas stations are unable to sell gas.

Additionally, New Jersey State Police said they have deployed troopers at all gas stations located on the rest stops on the NJ Turnpike and Garden State Parkway.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson says in a letter to governors that extreme circumstances related to Sandy will prevent enough gasoline from reaching consumers.

The waiver lets conventional gasoline be sold instead of cleaner-burning reformulated gasoline in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia and the District of Columbia. A blend of reformulated and regular gasoline will be allowed in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and North Carolina.

The waivers last through Nov. 20.

The EPA also says New Jersey residents can use heating oil in emergency generators and pumps if cleaner diesel is unavailable.

NOTE FROM YWN: Click here for a thread has been started in the YWN Coffee Room where locations of gas stations which has gas can be added by you.

(AP / WCBSTV)