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The average gasoline price in the United States jumped to more than US$3 per gallon on Wednesday, the highest level in nearly seven years. The shutdown of major pipelines entered the sixth day, and people’s concerns about fuel shortages are increasing.
As prices rise, motorists in the southeastern states of the United States Rushed to fill up their tanks, Although federal and state officials did not require emergency purchases, they still triggered a run at the gas station.
Data provider GasBuddy said North Carolina was the hardest hit, with a quarter of the stations in the state in a dry state on Wednesday morning. 15% of gas stations in Georgia and Virginia and 13% of gas stations in South Carolina also have no fuel.
The problem is particularly serious in major urban centers. In Charlotte, North Carolina, the interruption rate exceeded 70%, and in Atlanta, Georgia, the interruption rate reached 60%.
Tom Kloza, head of global energy analysis at Opis, IHS Markit, said: “Since the Iran crisis in the late 1970s, we have seen unprecedented panic.” “The information supplied to about 12 states has been temporarily available. Affected, but the panic behavior of the crazy crowd exacerbated the widespread blackout.”
After the ransomware attack, the colony’s pipeline was closed on Friday. The FBI said it was caused by a company named Dark side. A 5,500-mile network transports gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel from refineries in the Gulf of Mexico to markets on the East Coast of the United States.
Price fluctuations will trigger more alarms in the Biden administration. The Biden administration is seeking a solution to this crisis. Analysts believe that this crisis is related to actual supply shortages, but to panic buying.
According to data from the Automobile Association AAA, the national average gasoline price was $3.008 per gallon on Wednesday morning. Prices in the Southeast region are still cheaper than many other regions, but prices are rising rapidly.
US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm (Jennifer Granholm) said on Tuesday that pipeline operators hope to “be able to make a full restart decision on Wednesday.” However, after that, it still takes a few days to strengthen the business.
The government also has Relax the rules Truck loading is used in some states to ease fuel transportation to affected areas. It also temporarily abandoned some environmental requirements for gasoline quality.
The White House said on Wednesday that the federal government is also “prepared to review any temporary Jones Act exemption requests from shippers seeking to ship fuel between US ports.” Otherwise, the bill prohibits vessels that do not fly the American flag from doing so.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp issued an executive order on Tuesday to suspend gasoline taxes in the state because officials in the area tried to calm the nerves of drivers.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster said: “There is no need to rush to fill up the tank or accumulate gas-the pipeline is expected to resume operations this weekend.” On twitter.
As traders bet on a quick reopening, gasoline futures did not react strongly to the closure of the pipeline. Since the closure, the contract price for delivery in June has risen by less than 2% to about $2.15 per gallon.
Robert Campbell, head of petroleum products research at consulting firm Energy Aspects, said: “The feasible assumption is that the pipeline will restart over the weekend and gradually increase.”
“If this happens, it will be controllable damage. If the restart time is postponed to next week, we will see cascading reductions in refineries and a gradual tightening of the fuel market in the southeastern United States.”
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