Long fuel lines persist as Colonial Pipeline begins to resume operations
Long fuel lines persist as Colonial Pipeline begins to resume operations
Drivers line up to fill their tanks at a Cherokee County Texaco. (Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)
(GA Recorder) As school buses full of sleepy-eyed children rolled down Highway 92 in Woodstock early Wednesday morning, Morgan Vagnasco parked her car in front of the RaceTrac and pulled out a red gasoline jug.
Every one of the pumps was occupied, and more morning commuters idled in the lot, ready to swoop in as soon as someone left.
Vagnasco thought she lucked out until she pulled the trigger on the pump.
When will gas return? Is it safe to take a road trip? Your questions about gas shortage answered. Gabriela Miranda and Asha C. Gilbert, USA TODAY
People speed to the gas pump after Colonial Pipeline cyber attack
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The shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline is sending thousands to fill up their tanks at gas stations. Gas prices are above $3, and some stations are running out or low on fuel. The Colonial Pipeline stretches from Texas to New Jersey and supplies almost half of the East Coast s fuel.
The pipeline was shut down after a cyberattack, but the fuel company initiated the restart of pipeline operations at 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday. By Thursday morning, the Colonial Pipeline Co. said they made substantial progress and the delivery of gas had begun to the majority of markets they serve.
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On Wednesday night, the Colonial Pipeline Company, which operates the country’s largest pipeline system for refined oil, reported that the 5,500-mile system was finally up and running again, with service slated to return to normal by week’s end. It had been four days since the pipeline went down in a historic and frightening ransomware attack.
And yet, as of Thursday morning, cars continued to snake around gas stations up and down the Eastern seaboard, waiting their turn to fill up at the tank. Turns out that if you tell people something is threatening their petroleum supply, they will freak out and buy a lot of it. The National Association of Convenience Stores reported Wednesday that stations are doing two to four times their usual business, with some retailers clearing several days’ worth of gas around 16,000 gallons per station in a few hours. It’s the kind of purchasing behavior the industry usually se
Image credit: Elijah Nouvelage
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The Colonial Pipeline shutdown sent motorists across the Southeast scrambling for gas, even as state and federal officials warn against panic-buying and price gouging.
The pipeline provides some 45% of the East Coast’s fuel and was shut down for days following a cyberattack last week. The company said Wednesday it had restarted operations around 5 p.m. ET.
“Following this restart, it will take several days for the product delivery supply chain to return to normal,” Colonial announced.