Many gas stations are so understaffed nowadays that they practically compel drivers to pay at the pump with credit cards. On the Indiana Toll Road, most only have one pre-paid cash pump. I don't quite see how they would handle ration coupons. I suppose they could hire more staff, but that would put the price up another 35 or 50 cents a gallon to full-service level. That certainly would not make "the working poor" any happier. It would also take longer to get gas, causing long lines as in the 70s, because there are more cars, and sometimes fewer gas stations, now. And if you're working two or more jobs to make ends meet, you simply don't have time for that.

And what would the newly hired staff be expected to do if somebody filled 'er up, and then said, oh, by the way, I have no coupons? Call the cops, I suppose, and risk being assaulted. Or ask for the coupons in advance and risk being assaulted. Not worth it for a minimum wage job. And meanwhile, until the cops came and cleared up the altercation, a long line of idling cars would build up, burning quite a lot of extra gas like in the 70s.

Of course, you could cut out the laborious and costly business of handling rationing coupons by simply mailing everybody a check, as described in this slightly confusing article (petrol usually refers to gasoline, but seems to refer to heating oil here):
http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=48&story_id=23190&name=Controv ersial+75+euro+'petrol+cheque'+on+the+cards

On the other hand, if you read history or are old enough to remember, then it might smack of presidential candidate George McGovern making himself a laugh-ingstock by proposing to give everybody a thousand dollars. And by basically still allowing the market to clear, it would displease "les dirigistes", the (quasi-)socialists who really want to use the hurricane as an excuse to run everyone's life for them.