Originally posted by figmentvi
Maybe I can help you understand the reason why the blackout effected the price of gas.
I work at the second largest oil refinery in the Western Hemisphere, and when one of our major producing units goes down even for a short time it immediately effects the prices of gas on the East Coast.
The blackout forced emergency shutdowns of the refineries in the N.E. and Mid-West which in of itself is very dangerous. When the power came back on, they have to go through meticulous startup procedures to get the units back up and running again. It is a VERY dangerous and very time consuming process that can take days and days. A unit that has not been brought back online properly could have very serious problems and could potentially explode.
So even though the power was only out for less than 24 hours, it can take up to a week or more to get a refinery up and running again.
Hope this helps clarify the situation a little.