The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board granted nine more beer sales licenses to gas stations on Wednesday, including three in Western Pennsylvania.
The decision came one day after Gov. Tom Wolf wrote to three board members encouraging the sale. Its the board's first vote since February when the state Supreme Court said it would take up a case challenging whether a convenience store can sell beer and gasoline without violating state law.
The new licenses are for groceries and convenience stores in northeastern Pennsylvania, including the Wilkes-Barre area, Hazleton, Orangeville and Mahanoy City, and in Western Pennsylvania, including Canonsburg, Gibsonia and Huntingdon.
A Liquor Control Board spokeswoman said Tuesday the agency has licensed more than 300 grocery and convenience stores to sell beer.
About a dozen of those also have gas pumps.
That's despite wording in the state liquor law that bans alcohol sales licenses in locations, places and properties where gasoline is sold. A 2014 Commonwealth Court ruling permitted the sale of beer on the same property as gasoline, as long as the points of sale are separate.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
