Charlotte drivers should expect ‘headaches’ at gas pumps for 1-2 weeks, analyst warns

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Charlotte drivers should expect ‘headaches’ at gas pumps for 1-2 weeks, analyst warns

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Joe Marusak, Jonathan Limehouse
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Charlotte-area gasoline prices continued to inch up Thursday morning as supplies remained tight for a third day, after a ransomware attack on the pipeline that provides petroleum to distributors in the Carolinas and other states.

Relief at the pump is coming, as Colonial Pipeline Co. restarted pipeline operations at about 5 p.m. Wednesday. But the company cautioned that it could take several days for supplies to return to normal.

“Colonial Pipeline reports this morning that the restart of the pipeline went well overnight,” U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said on Twitter at 8 a.m. Thursday.

“This should mean things will return to normal by the end of the weekend,” Granholm said. “Will keep you posted.”

Some petroleum industry watchers were skeptical of the timeline.

Carolinians, along with Georgia and Virginia drivers, should expect up to two weeks “of headaches,” energy analyst Patrick DeHaan of GasBuddy.com said on Twitter on Thursday morning.

“The situation will definitely take time and slowly improve due to a high number of outages and higher number of stations to refuel,” DeHaan said. His Twitter handle is @GasBuddyGuy.”

DeHaan, in a separate tweet Thursday, included Charlotte in a list of markets that showed “some improvement” in gas supplies.

Thursday morning, the average price for a gallon of unleaded in Charlotte rose to $2.88, from $2.85 on Wednesday and $2.68 a week ago, according to AAA. Nationally, the average price rose to $3.03.

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Report: Colonial Pipeline paid ransom

The ransomware attack that targeted Colonial Pipeline on Friday forced the shutdown of the 5,550-mile pipeline that delivers 45 percent of fuel in the Southeast and along the East Coast. The FBI on Monday blamed the attack on DarkSide, a group of Eastern European hackers, McClatchy News reported.

Colonial Pipeline, which operates a tank farm in northwest Charlotte, is said to have paid nearly $5 million in cryptocurrency to DarkSide, according to a Bloomberg News report Thursday that cited two people familiar with the transaction. A representative from Colonial declined comment to Bloomberg.

In a 5 p.m. statement Wednesday , Colonial said some markets “may experience, or continue to experience, intermittent service interruptions during the start-up period.”

The company vowed to “move as much gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel as is safely possible and will continue to do so until markets return to normal.

“As we initiate our return to service, our primary focus remains safety,” Colonial said, adding that it will perform a “comprehensive series of pipeline safety assessments” to comply with federal pipeline safety requirements.

Gas shortages in NC, SC

At 10 a.m. Thursday, 68% of North Carolina gas stations and 52% in South Carolina were out of gas, according to GasBuddy.com.

Around the same time a day earlier, 28.2% of North Carolina gas stations and 16.2% in South Carolina were out GasBuddy.com reported.

A small increase in station outages is not surprising, but the recovery was expected to begin overnight, De Haan said on Twitter.

North Carolina’s price gouging law remains in effect, and the state Attorney General’s Office had received about 400 complaints as of Wednesday night, according to WLOS in Asheville.

Residents who believe they are victims of price gouging can report concerns by calling 877-5-NO-SCAM or by filing a complaint at https://ncdoj.gov/file-a-complaint/price-gouging/.

Cooper declared a state of emergency on Monday and suspended “motor vehicle fuel regulations to ensure adequate fuel (supplies) throughout the state.”

On Wednesday, Charlotte Area Transit System announced fare-free transit for all riders during the pipeline shutdown to help people get to work. CATS said it will issue another announcement before resuming fares.

Ways to conserve fuel

AAA offers these tips on saving the gasoline that’s left in your tank:

▪ Plan ahead to accomplish multiple errands in one trip.

▪ If you own more than one car, use the most fuel-efficient model.

▪ Remove unnecessary and bulky items from your car. It takes more fuel to accelerate a heavier car.

▪ Minimize your use of air conditioning.

▪ In hot weather, park in the shade or use a windshield sunscreen to lessen heat buildup inside the car.

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