Is your state running out of gas?

[rotlex]

Seriously hoping this idiocy ends in a month or two. Really don't want to be driving from PA to Florida and not be able to find gas on the way. So freaking frustrating anymore. I fully blame the news media for hyping absolutely everything anymore.

 

[Brett Wyman]

Seriously hoping this idiocy ends in a month or two. Really don't want to be driving from PA to Florida and not be able to find gas on the way. So freaking frustrating anymore. I fully blame the news media for hyping absolutely everything anymore.

It will be resolved in the next week.

 

[rotlex]

It will be resolved in the next week.

Oh I'm sure. Just having a grumpy not enough coffee yet morning, lol.

 

[Brett Wyman]

Oh I'm sure. Just having a grumpy not enough coffee yet morning, lol.

We’re driving down 5-31 so I hear you!

 

[spiders]

Some shortages today. First gas station I passed was still closed, second one was out and the third had mid grade only. But I think they were rationing to $20 each because most pumps had previous sales of $20.00. The card reader was taped up saying “pay inside” but I was on my way to work and definitely didn’t want to go inside to this small, cruddy station. The tap to pay was still exposed so I tapped to pay and it worked. I guess they didn’t like that though because eventually it just said “this pump has been stopped” at $8 but that pretty much tipped me off anyway to last me through next week when this will hopefully be over

I’m annoyed. I went past my gas station (in Virginia) at 5:30 and gas was 2.79. When I drove back by it at 7:30 the price was 3.29. Price gouging at its finest.

I would much rather them raise it to $7.00 and be able to get gas than go on a journey to find the few stations that still have it at $2.50 (plus all the gas that you’re wasting by driving around) That would also take care of a decent portion of those filling up multiple gas cans.

 

[kdonnel]

It will be resolved in the next week.

This is the third time in the last 15 years where gas stations have run dry due to hoarding.

In each case it took well over a month after the underlying problem was fixed before you could be guaranteed that every gas station had gas.

By next week you might be able to get gas, but not at your preferred station or the first or second station you visit.

 

[dvcgirl67]

This is the third time in the last 15 years where gas stations have run dry due to hoarding.

In each case it took well over a month after the underlying problem was fixed before you could be guaranteed that every gas station had gas.

By next week you might be able to get gas, but not at your preferred station or the first or second station you visit.

This is what is going to happen. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy in this case. People are moving the gas in massive storage tanks to the tiny storage tanks they have in their cars.

We've seen this in areas of the country under threat of hurricane as people fill tanks in case they need to evacuate, and fill up all gas cans for generators in case of power loss...etc. This could be more widespread....running up and down the east coast, because it's all over the news. My neighbor, here in NJ, who I would say probably drives less than 100 miles in a week told me she was planning on filling up her tank tomorrow...just in case. Americans are hoarders in emergencies, and coming out of a pandemic, we're maniac hoarders. The timing is bad too, because more and more people are hitting the road and we're 2.5 weeks out from Memorial Day. We have an EV now, so this doesn't impact us this time around. But I'll check out local gas stations in my area of central NJ to see what's up here. If I had to take a long drive along I-95, I'd probably be a little concerned.

 

[amylevan]

The deal is that this is completely screwing up the model for how fuel is distributed. When there's a fuel delivery contract, it's usually company A selling this amount of fuel to its customer, and they'll then pay a pipeline company like Colonial to deliver an equivalent amount of "fungible" fuel and also serve as the distribution point for the truck that picks up the fuel and delivers it to the gas station. Some fuel is available at spot prices. But the fuel may not (and probably is not) the same fuel that the refiner delivers to the pipeline company. The pipeline company doesn't necessarily move the fuel long distances. It just needs to make sure that enough fuel of the proper standard is available for delivery at specific fuel terminals.

This is probably not going to mess too much with fuel supply at a location near a refinery that isn't reliant on the Colonial Pipeline for crude oil deliveries. Refineries in New Jersey seem to be supplied by sea tankers and rail tankers. For example, this one is really close to NYC:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayway_Refinery

Bayway is in Linden, which is also the terminus of the pipeline. There are a few other refineries in the area. However, NJ refineries supply about 1/3 of NJ’s gas, the rest heads to New England. The pipeline supplies another 1/3 of gas to NJ.

The pipeline (and NJs refineries) have been shut down before. Bayway lost power and had flooding during Sandy, and the northern part of the pipeline was also shutdown at the same time. Basically the oil companies have a logistical nightmare on their hands and panic buying isn’t helping.

 

[izzy]

I would much rather them raise it to $7.00 and be able to get gas than go on a journey to find the few stations that still have it at $2.50 (plus all the gas that you’re wasting by driving around) That would also take care of a decent portion of those filling up multiple gas cans.

The gas station across the street had 0.00 as their gas price, so I think they were out of gas. I guess my gas station saw that as an opportunity to jack up the price. It still made me mad.

 

[Avery&Todd]

our local weather guy on the way into the station this morning said that he passes 11 gas stations on the way in, and only 1 had gas!

 

[Minnesota!]

TBH, I don't pay attention to gas prices, and WFH, I don't have to worry about filling up a car.

However, we all know this is media driven. Yes, the hack happened. But, if it weren't for ma and pa out there filling up gas cans like their lives depended on it, there would be enough to go around for those that truly need it.

The fear mongering by the media gets stronger every day.

The hoarding due to the fear due to the media portrayal of, yet another "catastrophe" is what causes this...if everyone would learn to sit back and chill vs panic, we would not have these issues.

So annoying.

 

[easyas123]

TBH, I don't pay attention to gas prices, and WFH, I don't have to worry about filling up a car.

However, we all know this is media driven. Yes, the hack happened. But, if it weren't for ma and pa out there filling up gas cans like their lives depended on it, there would be enough to go around for those that truly need it.

The fear mongering by the media gets stronger every day.

The hoarding due to the fear due to the media portrayal of, yet another "catastrophe" is what causes this...if everyone would learn to sit back and chill vs panic, we would not have these issues.

So annoying.

Agree, 100%

 

[dvcgirl67]

Wow...71% of Charlotte NC stations out of gas now. The predictable snowball effect is now rolling.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/05/12/gas-shortage-colonial-pipeline-live-updates/

 

[Jennasis]

I got gas in mid NC this morning. $2.99...at least 4 other stations in town are out or shut off their pumps. Several closed early yesterday to preserve. Most will not allow you to fill an external tank. Vehicles only. The station I went to (a rural station in the middle of nowhere) has everyone capped at $40 max.

By Friday this will start easing. However there are a shortage of tanker drivers predating this crisis which is exacerbating the shortage. Of you know anyone with a CDL who needs a job, now is the time!

 

[wvjules]

How is reporting the closure of the pipeline and the possibility of a gas shortage "fear mongering"? All news reports I've seen have been factual. What am I not seeing? Should the not report this? It's pretty big news, IMO.

 

[sam_gordon]

How is reporting the closure of the pipeline and the possibility of a gas shortage "fear mongering"? All news reports I've seen have been factual. What am I not seeing? Should the not report this? It's pretty big news, IMO.

I was going to ask the same thing. If the media didn't report on it people would be up in arms "You're the media! You're supposed to tell us what's going on!"

 

[HeatherC]

This whole thing is just another example of how ill prepared we are for any disasters, emergencies, weather related events, etc..

With all our technology, etc., why can’t we just get it together?

 

[dvcgirl67]

How is reporting the closure of the pipeline and the possibility of a gas shortage "fear mongering"? All news reports I've seen have been factual. What am I not seeing? Should the not report this? It's pretty big news, IMO.

The pipeline closure is news for sure. However, if people just followed their usual buying patterns, and only bought gas when they really need it, we'd likely see spot shortages and not major shortages that we're about to see. People are filling their tanks just to fill their tanks, even if they aren't driving much. It's no different than people having cases of toilet paper in their basement at the beginning of the pandemic.

Eventually, when the pipeline is up and running later this week....and as people with full tanks in cars sitting in driveways no longer feel the panic to fill up, this phenomenon will sort itself out.

 

[Moliphino]

Not that I know of. I got gas on my way home yesterday and didn't notice anything unusual.

 

[TwoMisfits]

The pipeline closure is news for sure. However, if people just followed their usual buying patterns, and only bought gas when they really need it, we'd likely see spot shortages and not major shortages that we're about to see. People are filling their tanks just to fill their tanks, even if they aren't driving much. It's no different than people having cases of toilet paper in their basement at the beginning of the pandemic.

Eventually, when the pipeline is up and running later this week....and as people with full tanks in cars sitting in driveways no longer feel the panic to fill up, this phenomenon will sort itself out.

And that's why there is probably panic. The pipeline hedged if they would be up and running, and if they were, in what capacity. The greatest way to stoke panic is to provide uncertainty, and that's all they and the media have done so far.

And, so here we are. I would not want to be doing a long haul trip down the southeast coast this weekend or early next week. I don't think things will normalize nearly that fast b/c we are unfortunately still in the spiral-down phase with no reassuring certainty provided yet.