The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Frustration mounts over scarce fuel
Pipeline finally restarts, but normal deliveries will take several days.
At about 9 a.m. on Wednesday, at a 24-pump Quiktrip on Smyrna’s East-west Connector, a line of cars slowly circled the parking lot, desperately looking for gas.
Like at many other gas stations across metro Atlanta, there was none to be had.
Camped at pump 18 was Helen Brown, in a white truck piled high with metal recyclables. Her cat, Myst, was in a cage in the passenger seat. Brown sipped on coffee to stay awake. She said she had been waiting since 10:30 p.m. the night before.
“I can’t go nowhere. How do I know where to go?” Brown said.
Some local motorists struggled to find gas Tuesday. By Wednesday it was even harder, as fuel shortages worsened along the Eastern Seaboard after Colonial Pipeline shut down its distribution network last Friday because of a cyberattack.
Alpharetta-based Colonial, which transports an estimated 45% of the fuel consumed on the East Coast, said it began to restart pipeline operations Wednesday at about 5 p.m. But it warned it will take several days for deliveries to return to normal.
As of late Wednesday afternoon, 46% of gas stations across Georgia had fuel outages, including 67% in metro Atlanta, according to Gasbuddy, based on consumer tips.
Gov. Brian Kemp pleaded with Georgians again on Wednesday not to hoard gas. On Tuesday, fuel demand in metro Atlanta had jumped 18% from the week before, according to Gasbuddy.
“Don’t get more than you need,” Kemp said. “Get what you need to get your kids to school, to get to work, to get to a medical appointment. Don’t unnecessarily fill up every vehicle you’ve got.”
Georgia officials have already waived the state gas tax to stem the rising price of a gallon of gas, which has jumped to an average of $2.95 in Georgia. According to AAA, that’s an increase of about 23 cents from a week ago.
The governor said the state continues to receive roughly half its gasoline supply from other sources, adding that the shutdown could increase its reliance on shipments coming by train and road. He added that he’s offered to have Georgia State Patrol officers escort fuel convoys to speed their delivery.
Kemp has also eased weight requirements for fuel tankers bringing shipments of the fuel to Georgia and warned businesses they could face stiff sanctions for price gouging. The state also recently received federal approval to use a different fuel blend to ease outages at gas stations.
Other officials stressed they’re taking increased measures to fend off cyberattacks and ensure that essential vehicles, such as ambulances and patrol cars, remain fueled.
Clayton County Schools said it is considering returning to all-virtual learning next week if the gas crunch continues. If that happens, students will continue with remote learning for the remainder of the academic year, which ends May 25. Clayton Schools was the last in metro Atlanta to offer in-person classes with elementary students going back to physical buildings just last month.
Sandy Springs-based packaged delivery giant UPS said Wednesday the fuel shortage had not impacted its services. Hartsfield-jackson Atlanta International Airport said its operations also hadn’t been impacted Wednesday and that it had sufficient fuel reserves.
Colonial was hit with a cyberattack by hackers who lock up computer systems and demand a ransom to release them. The hackers didn’t take control of the pipeline operations, but Colonial shut the pipeline down to contain the damage.
The Washington Post, citing two anonymous sources, reported that Colonial didn’t plan to pay a ransom to decrypt data files. Rather, Colonial is working with the cybersecurity firm Mandiant to restore the data from backup systems where possible and rebuild systems where backups are unavailable, the newspaper reported.
Meanwhile, some fuel deliveries continued across the metro area.
The Energy Information Administration said that before Colonial ramps up again fully, distribution terminals in the Southeast will rely on supplies such as the smaller Plantation Pipeline, which carries petroleum products from the Gulf Coast through the Southeast including Atlanta and to Washington, D.C. The pipeline is operated by Products (SE) Pipe Line Corp. in Alpharetta, which is majority owned by Houston-based Kinder Morgan.
Aisha Jefferson, a Quiktrip spokesperson, said the convenience store chain is still getting gas deliveries and as soon as stations are re-supplied, they immediately open their pumps if they had been closed.
“We are doing everything we can to weather the storm,” said Jefferson, adding that the retailer is encouraging customers to use their app to track their options.
Many consumers were still out of luck.
On Lavista Road just off I-285, the BP and the Shell across the street from one another were out of gas on Wednesday morning. The signs displayed “0.00” and Shell’s pumps for regular unleaded, mid-grade unleaded, and premium unleaded gas had “out of service” nozzle covers.
At the Chevron at Northridge and Roswell Road in Sandy Springs, which had precious gas, there were long lines early Wednesday morning. Another Chevron at Mount Vernon Highway and Johnson Ferry Road limited gas to $20 Tuesday night and only accepted cash.
At about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Smyrna Quiktrip, a large tanker truck began supplying the station with gas. An attendant walked around taping a sign on every pump, informing customers that only premium gas would be available. It hardly seemed to matter as the circling cars scrambled to find a pump.
But Brown, who had been waiting since Tuesday night, already had her place. At 9:45 a.m., she got out of her white truck and pumped $60 worth of premium. Then, she and Myst rode off in the rain.
For many others, it was fleeting. At 5 p.m. Wednesday, at the same Quiktrip, a new set of cars circled the parking lot looking for gas.
Again, it was all long gone. Someone asked an attendant when and if any gas was coming Wednesday night.
“I don’t know,” he said, waving his hands. “They just show up when they show up.”