The cyber attack against a colonial pipeline, the company that provides 45% of the fuel consumed on the East American coast, has created fears of an imminent scarcity of gasoline.
Some motorists in the D area.C.They have reported to see long lines at the service stations.
More than 1,000 gas stations in the southeast of the country reported having a small amount of fuel on Tuesday, but analysts explain that this is mainly because many have been making unjustified panic purchases, according to The Associated Press.
The administration of Joe Biden has asked consumers not to accumulate fuels and sellers who do not take this time to speculate.
"It's not that we have a shortage of gasoline, we have a supply shortage.Things will return to normal soon, "said the Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, at a press conference at the White House.
This is what you should know about the situation in D.C., Maryland and Virginia:
Some gas stations have reported having run out of fuel or having limited options, according to the Gasbuddy website.
There have been long line reports in service stations in the D area.C.This was the scene in a Liberty gas station in Alexandria, Virginia, Tuesday night:
The percentage of service stations without gasoline was 55% in Virginia and 34% in Maryland and 47% in D.C.For Thursday morning, said Haan's Patrick analyst.
The disruption of the pipeline has contributed to problems in the supply, but consumers who are going in pack to fill their tanks is what is contributing to shortage, according to experts.
Virginia declared an emergency in response to cyber attack that has stopped the pipeline, which is the main fuel source for many of the gas stations in the state.
Governor Ralph Northam signed the executive order on Tuesday in an attempt to meet any possible energy supply problem.This statement allows state agencies to issue exemptions to increase gasoline distribution.
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In Maryland, state energy and emergency teams are monitoring any possible impact that the pipeline interruption could generate, Governor Larry Hogan Hogan said Tuesday afternoon on his Twitter account.
If you are running out of fuel, you can use the Gasbuddy tracker to find a service station in your area that has gasoline.
The colonial company has said that it plans to restore the service by the end of this week.On Monday night, the company manually restores the line that goes from Greensboro, North Carolina to Woodbine, Maryland.
For Wednesday, the average cost of gasoline at the national level had reached $ 3, AAA reported.This has fluctuated the price of a regular gallon during the last week:
AAA indicated that the most likely prices are still going up this week.
“The interruption [of the pipeline] will have implications both in the supply and in the price of gasoline, but the impact will vary regionally.Areas such as Mississippi, Tennessee and the East Coast from Georgia to Delware will possibly experience limited fuel availability and an increase in prices as soon as this week, ”said AAA spokeswoman Jeanette McGee in a statement.
The increase is expected to be between three to seven cents per gallon, the highest number since 2014.
If the pipeline continues without operating this weekend, the cost could rise even more and more shortage could be seen, CNBC reported.
The operations of the Colonial pipeline were interrupted on the weekend after a cyber attack through a "ransomware", a program that blocks access to information in exchange for the payment of a reward to release it.
The pipeline goes from Texas to New York and provides approximately 45% of the fuel supply to the east coast.The most affected states are North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Virginia.
If some fuel is being supplied since many of the smallest lines of the colonial pipeline were operational for Tuesday.
Likewise, foreign imports of gasoline and other pipelines can complement the northeastern supply, AAA explained.
The administration of President Joe Biden, who has lifted the restrictions on the transport of road fuel and other environmental to facilitate the supply, is evaluating measures to expand the distribution of sea and iron fuels, according to the White House.
If you don't have gasoline, sure.But the authorities have asked people to buy more than they need.
Ghanaholm also asked the owners of gas stations to act responsibly and warned that they will not tolerate "an excessive price increase" of fuels, and pointed to consumers that "there should be no reason to accumulate gasoline".