Ghosts of the 1970's: Gas line, fuel shortages and driver frustration across the Southeast
The Russian cyberattack on the Colonial Pipeline supplying all types of gasoline, fuel oil and jet fuel to nine states brings home the reality of weak U.S. cybersecurity
Lines as long as a mile greeted motorists at a Greensboro, North Carolina Costco service station Tuesday as the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack entered its fifth day. (Photo: Woody Marshall/Greensboro News & Record)
Long lines, frustrated motorists fighting one another and state declarations of fuel emergencies highlighted ongoing concerns following the Colonial Pipeline shutdown due to a cyberattack.
More than 1,000 gas stations in the Southeast reported running out of fuel Wednesday. Energy analysts say the shortage is being driven unwarranted panic-buying among consumers. It is the fifth day of a shutdown of major pipeline by a Russian crime gang unofficially backed by the Russian government.
State officials acted swiftly to waive safety and environmental rules to speed the delivery of fuel by truck, ship or rail to motorists and airports, even as they sought to assure the public that there was no cause for alarm.
The Colonial Pipeline, the biggest fuel pipeline in the U.S., delivering about 45 percent of what is consumed on the East Coast, was struck on Friday in a cyberattack by hackers who locked up computer systems and demanded a ransom from Colonial to release them. The attack raised concerns, once again, about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure in the U.S.
Though the Russian government denied involvement, national security sources told America’s Conservative Voice (ACV) that nothing originates in Russia without the knowledge and approval of President Vladimir Putin.
A large part of the pipeline resumed operations manually late Monday, and Colonial anticipates restarting most of its operations by the end of the week, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said Tuesday. Nonetheless, it will take three weeks to fill the pipeline and make it fully operational.
Motorists may still feel a crunch because it takes a few days to ramp up operations, but she said there is no reason to hoard gasoline.
“We know that we have gasoline; we just have to get it to the right places,” she said.
Granholm also acknowledged that pipelines are the best delivery systems for gasoline and jet fuel. The irony that her boss closed down the KeystoneX Pipeline in January the same day he took office went unnoticed by the Fascist media.
S&P’s Oil Price Information Service put the number of gas stations encountering shortages at more than 1,000. Analysts claimed that gas stations were being inundates by drivers who supposedly are buying three to four times as much fuel than normal. Service stations operators in the Southeast confirmed to America’s Conservative Voice (ACV) they were selling more gas, but nowhere near the amounts the analysts claim.
The pipeline runs from the Texas Gulf Coast to the New York metropolitan area. The states most dependent on the pipeline include Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas.
In Virginia, almost eight percent of the state’s 3,800+ gas stations reported running out of fuel Tuesday, according to Gasbuddy.com, which tracks supply. In North Carolina, 8.5 percent of about 5,400 stations were out, the company said.
Southeastern states are on the lookout for price gouging as the cyberattack shutting down the Colonial Pipeline, carried out by Russian hackers, has impacted regional gas prices. (Photo: Dani Bosch/Columbia The State)
There were scattered reports of higher gasoline prices, but prices were rising even before the pipeline incident heading into the busy summer driving season. Nevertheless, Granholm warned gas station owners, “We will have no tolerance for price gouging.”
To ease brief shortages, the White House is considering temporarily waiving a law that says ships delivering products between U.S. ports must be built and manned by Americans. The Transportation Department also is relaxing some workforce requirements and enlisting railroads to deliver fuel inland. And the Environmental Protection Agency lifted some fuel quality requirements on an emergency basis.
“We’re looking at every option we have across the federal government and all of the federal agencies,” Granholm said.
In Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp suspended state taxes on motor fuels through Saturday. Georgia collects a gasoline tax of 28.7 cents per gallon and a diesel tax of 32.2 cents per gallon.
“It will probably help level the price at the pump off for a little while,” Kemp said.
However, he urged people not to hoard gasoline, saying he expects the situation to be resolved soon.
“You don’t need to go out and fill up every 5-gallon can you’ve got,” the governor said.
Scattered gas stations in metro Atlanta were out of fuel Monday and Tuesday. In Georgia, nearly six percent of about 6,400 stations had run out of fuel, Gasbuddy.com said.
In Florida, drivers in some areas faced long lines, and three percent of gas stations had run out.
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) declared a state of emergency Tuesday evening in response to the gasoline shortage. The move activates the Florida National Guard, as needed, and directs state emergency management officials to work with federal and local officials. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam also declared a state of emergency.
One consumer, Dave Gussak of Tallahassee, drove from one station to the next in his home city in search of gas, seeing a line nearly a mile long at the pumps outside a Costco. He eventually passed a station with gas on the way to Florida State University where he works.
“This is insane,” he said.
Another driver, Irena Yanava, said her gas tank was about half full, but she wanted to take no chances as she sat in her car at the same Tallahassee gas station.
“I know that I’ll be needing it soon, so why not?” she said.
Citgo’s Fairfax, Virginia, terminal ran out of premium reformulated gasoline, and its Richmond, Virginia, terminal was out of unleaded regular, according to the American Automobile Association, citing a shipper bulletin.
The Colonial Pipeline carries jet fuel as well. American Airlines rerouted two long-haul flights from Charlotte, North Carolina, because of possible shortages. Passengers flying to Honolulu will have to change planes in Dallas, and those heading to London will stop in Boston to refuel. JetBlue turned a couple domestic nonstop flights into one-stops in order to refuel their planes.
Southwest and United flights carried extra fuel on flights to Nashville, Tennessee, Baltimore and some other airports in case jet fuel was unavailable at those airports. Normally airlines load only enough fuel for a single flight, because topping off adds to the plane’s weight and hurts mileage. Most planes can carry enough fuel for a round trip, but the extra fuel increases weight that burns more fuel and costs money.
Though Colonial officials were able to partially restore manual control of the pipeline late Monday, 70 percent of Charlotte, North Carolina area gas stations had empty fuel tanks Wednesday.
The gas crisis is yet another that the Biden cabal has failed to manage in their very short term of office thus far.