DELEGATION OF AUTHORITIES RELATING TO MOTOR GASOLINE END-USER ALLOCATION By virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the statutes of the United States of America, including the Emergency Petroleum Allocation Act of 1973, as amended (P.L. 93-159), and as President of the United States of America, notwithstanding the delegations to the Secretary of Energy in Executive Order 11790 as amended by Executive Order 12038, it is hereby ordered: SECTION 1-101. Each Governor is hereby delegated the authority to establish a system of end-user allocation for motor gasoline, subject to the terms and conditions as set forth below. SEC. 1-102. When a Governor determines that his State, or any locality therein, is experiencing a shortage of motor gasoline available for retail distribution, such that the public health, safety, or welfare is endangered, he may require motor gasoline retail sales outlets in that State or locality to: (a) Supply with gasoline (including gasohol) vehicles: (1) which have a license plate number, the last digit of which is an even number, or where there are only letters on the license plate, the last letter of which is a letter in the first half of the alphabet (AM), only on even days of the month; (2) which have a license plate number, the last digit of which is an odd number, or where there are only letters on the license plate, the last letter of which is a letter in the last half of the alphabet (N-Z), only on odd days of the month; and (3) which have individually or as a class been designated by the Governor of that State as eligible to purchase gasoline on any day in order to assure adequate supplies for such vehicles to protect the public health, safety, or welfare, or to assure necessary governmental services (including local, State and Federal). (b) Require purchasers to purchase a specified minimum amount of gasoline (including gasohol), expressed in either gallons, fractions of gas tanks, or dollars, as determined by the Governor; and (c) Supply gasoline at specified times of day or on specified days, as determined by the Governor to be necessary to reduce the length of or prevent lines of purchasers. SEC. 1-103. A Governor may adopt such additional rules or regulations not inconsistent with Department of Energy policies and regulations and subdelegate this authority as he deems necessary to implement and enforce the provisions of section 1-102 above. SEC. 1-104. For purposes of this Order, the term "Governor" includes the Governors of the 50 States, the Chief Executive Officer of the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the territories and possessions of the United States, other than the Panama Canal Zone. SEC. 1-105. This Order shall terminate, unless extended, at midnight on September 30, 1979. The Secretary of Energy may at any time revoke this delegation in whole or in part with respect to any State. JIMMY CARTER The White House, May 29, 1979. [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 10:28 a.m., May 30, 1979]
Executive Order 12140—Gasoline End-User Allocation
Executive Brief • At a Glance
Each Governor is hereby delegated the authority to establish a system of end-user allocation for motor gasoline, subject to the terms and conditions as set forth below.
Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis
Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.
Signed by President Jimmy Carter on May 29, 1979, this order concerns Gasoline End-User Allocation. Each Governor is hereby delegated the authority to establish a system of end-user allocation for motor gasoline, subject to the terms and conditions as set forth below. SEC. 1-102. When a Governor determines that his State, or any locality therein, is experiencing a shortage of motor gasoline available for retail distribution, such that the public health, safety, or welfare is endangered, he may require motor…
Key Directives & Operative Actions
Each Governor is hereby delegated the authority to establish a system of end-user allocation for motor gasoline, subject to the terms and conditions as set forth below.
When a Governor determines that his State, or any locality therein, is experiencing a shortage of motor gasoline available for retail distribution, such that the public health, safety, or welfare is endangered, he may require motor gasoline retail sales outlets in that State or locality to: (a) Supply with gasoline (including gasohol) vehicles: (1) which have a license plate number, the last digit of which is an even number, or where there are only letters on the license plate, the last letter of which is a letter in the first half of the alphabet (AM), only on even days of the month; (2) which have a license plate number, the last digit of which is an odd number, or where there are only letters on the license plate, the last letter of…
Require purchasers to purchase a specified minimum amount of gasoline (including gasohol), expressed in either gallons, fractions of gas tanks, or dollars, as determined by the Governor; and (c) Supply gasoline at specified times of day or on specified days, as determined by the Governor to be necessary to reduce the length of or prevent lines of purchasers.
This Order shall terminate, unless extended, at midnight on September 30, 1979.
Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted
Policy Areas & Topics
The Framers' Constitutional Council
1787 PrismEvaluating this order against the constitutional debates of 1787 and the limits of Article II executive power.
"When the President acts pursuant to an express or implied authorization of Congress, his authority is at its maximum, for it includes all that he possesses in his own right plus all that Congress can delegate."
James Madison
Separation of Powers & Legislative Primacy
"The constitutional magistracy was designed not to invent policy, but to be the faithful instrument of the laws passed by the people's representatives." — Speech in the First Congress (1789)
Madison would approve the structural posture of this order. The President acts strictly in subordination to statutory authority granted under Article II, Section 3 ("take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed"). The checks and balances hold firm because the policy origin remains with the legislature.
Alexander Hamilton
The Energetic Executive & Unified Command
"A feeble Executive implies a feeble execution of the government; and a government ill executed, whatever it may be in theory, must be, in practice, a bad government." — Federalist No. 70 (1788)
Hamilton would view this directive as the natural and indispensable functioning of administrative leadership. Without the power to coordinate agencies, manage personnel, and resolve operational ambiguities, the modern presidency would be reduced to an impotent figurehead.
George Mason
Bill of Rights, Due Process & 10th Amendment
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." — 10th Amendment to the US Constitution (1791)
Mason would scrutinize whether this federal directive intrudes into police powers, land stewardship, or municipal domains historically reserved to local citizens. The Anti-Federalist demand is that federal administration must never supplant state self-governance.
Five Measurable "Constitutional Friction" Dimensions
An objective audit measuring potential separation-of-powers tension against the United States Constitution and established Supreme Court doctrine.
Legislative Encroachment & Purse
Administers commerce or fiscal programs requiring ongoing statutory delegation and legislative oversight.
Executive Scope & Faithfulness
Directs internal executive branch machinery, agency workflows, and federal personnel.
Federalism & State Sovereignty
Engages state and local partners in cooperative federalism programs.
Due Process & Individual Rights
Applies regulatory or compliance standards to private contractors or commercial entities.
Youngstown Jacksonian Tier
The President operates strictly as the constitutional Chief Executive, carrying out policy established by Congress with strong statutory backing.
This order operates within Justice Jackson’s Zone of Twilight, resting upon concurrent presidential authority or congressional silence.
Referenced By Later Executive Orders (1)
Subsequent presidents who cited, amended, continued, or revoked this directive in later orders.
Scholarly & Legal Citations
Exec. Order No. 12,140 (May 29, 1979), https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-12140-gasoline-end-user-allocation.