Reserve Fuel Approved For GA Gas Shortage; 300 Price Gouge Claims

GEORGIA — Gov. Brian Kemp said that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved Georgia to use the fuel stored for the winter, as price gouging continues.

During a news conference on Wednesday, Kemp said that on Tuesday night, a waiver to allow Georgia to dip into its reserve fuel storage to help alleviate some gas shortage issues after he declared a state of emergency issued on Tuesday.

"While we do not think the winter fuel mix will be enough to fix the shortages we are currently seeing, we are optimistic it will help increase supply in the short term," Kemp said. "The best way to address the fuel shortage we're experiencing is to remain calm and only get the fuel you need to carry out essential activities. Please do not go out and fill out every 5-gallon can that you have. Doing so will only mean the shortage will last longer, and more Georgians will be unable to make it to work, take their kids to school or get to their medical appointment."

Kemp said he remains confident the Colonial Pipeline company will be able to resume normal operations by the end of the week.

In a statement on Wednesday, Colonial Pipeline said it initiated the restart of pipeline operations at 5 p.m.

"Following this restart, it will take several days for the product delivery supply chain to return to normal," the company said. "Some markets served by Colonial Pipeline may experience, or continue to experience, intermittent service interruptions during the start-up period. Colonial will 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. As part of this startup process, Colonial will conduct a comprehensive series of pipeline safety assessments in compliance with all Federal pipeline safety requirements."

Kemp said he spoke with school district officials earlier on Wednesday, and they said they are able to keep buses running through this week. Most public safety departments also have their own fuel reserves, or access to state partners with reserves like the Department of Transportation, Kemp said.

The state of emergency in has caused a panic among Georgians and Americans across the southeast region.

Nearly three out of every five gas stations in metro Atlanta were out of gas Wednesday morning, according to Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, as Georgia and the southeast grapple with the effects of Colonial Pipeline's temporary shutdown.

Since the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack this weekend, the company has been working with its shippers and delivered roughly 41 million gallons to various delivery points along its system. This includes delivery into the following markets: Atlanta; Belton and Spartanburg, South Carolina; Charlotte and Greensboro, North Carolina; Baltimore, Maryland; and Woodbury and Linden New Jersey.

Additionally, in preparation for the system to restart, Colonial Pipeline said Tuesday night that it has taken delivery of an additional 84 million gallons from refineries for deployment upon restart.

"Consistent with our safety policies and regulatory requirements, Colonial has increased aerial patrols of our pipeline right of way and deployed more than 50 personnel to walk and drive (roughly) 5,000 miles of pipeline each day," the company said in a statement on Tuesday.

Read more: Where To Find Gas In GA: Colonial Pipeline Attack

Kemp issued a state of emergency in Georgia prohibiting price gouging following the cyberattack. He also said Georgia is increasing the weight limits for trucks transporting fuel, providing more supply for stations as they receive deliveries.

Kemp declared a state of emergency as a result of the petroleum shortage from the cyber-attack on the Alpharetta-based Colonial Pipeline Company. The company was the victim of a cybersecurity attack on Friday, forcing a shutdown of its operations across the United States.

The state of emergency will remain in effect through 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, May 15. When Kemp declared this state of emergency, Georgia's price gouging statutes were activated.

This means that while the state of emergency remains in effect, businesses may not charge more for products and services identified by the governor, including motor fuel and diesel fuel, than they charged before the declaration of the state of emergency, unless the increased prices accurately reflect an increase in the cost of new stock or the cost to transport it, plus the retailer's average markup percentage applied during the 10 days immediately prior to the declaration of the state of emergency.

As of Wednesday morning, there have been more than 300 complaints of price gouging in Georgia.

Violators of Georgia's price gouging statutes may be fined up to $5,000 per violation. Consumers can report suspected price gouging by calling 404-651-8600, 1-800-869-1123 outside metro Atlanta, or completing the online complaint form on the Department of Law's Consumer Protection Division website.

This gas station in Marietta is advertising gas at $3.29, but then pricing it at $4.09 at the pump with premium being the only option.

"My office has been in close contact with company and industry officials since we first learned of the Colonial cyberattack over the weekend," Kemp said. "Unfortunately, extensive media coverage has caused people to panic which has resulted in higher gas prices. We are taking action to relieve some of the cost burden from Georgians as Colonial recovers by suspending fuel taxes, increasing the weight limit for supply trucks, and prohibiting price gouging.

"We expect these measures to be temporary as Colonial plans to be fully up and running later this week. There is no need to rush to the gas station to fill up every tank you have and hoard gas. With the measures we have taken today, I am hopeful we can get more supply to stations and get through to this weekend when we hope Colonial will return to normal."

The U.S. Department of Transportation said on Tuesday that there will be additional help for states in areas affected by the cyberattack.

The White House and DOT have determined that previous declarations of “major disaster” issued by the president within the past 120 days allow states covered by those declarations to use interstate highways in their state to transport overweight loads of gasoline and other fuels.

Each state must continue to follow its own procedures for issuance of special permits authorizing the loads, but the added flexibility lawfully permits these trucks to run on the interstate highway system and other federal highways. This flexibility is in addition to preexisting authority for states to issue special permits allowing the trucks to run on state highways.

Colonial Pipeline is "the largest refined products pipeline in the United States, transporting more than 100 million gallons of fuel daily to meet the energy needs of consumers from Houston, Texas to the New York Harbor," according to its website. The company has customers and markets throughout the southern and eastern United States through a pipeline system that spans more than 5,500 miles. Roughly 45 percent of all fuel consumed on the east coast comes from the Colonial Pipeline, providing products to more than 50 million Americans.

Monday afternoon, Colonial Pipeline said it takes time to restore the network to normal operations. While the situation remains fluid and continues to evolve, the Colonial operations team is creating a plan to return service in incremental phases.

In a statement on its website, the company said it has determined the incident involved ransomware.

Colonial has been in contact with law enforcement and other federal agencies, including the Department of Energy which is leading the federal government response.

On Monday, the FBI confirmed the Darkside ransomware is responsible for the attack. Darkside posted online that its goal was money.

Gas Shortage

If you're struggling to find gas in metro Atlanta, you can click here to take you directly to GasBuddy's tracker showing which stations in Atlanta and throughout Georgia still have gas, power and diesel fuel. It's searchable by city or ZIP code.

You can also use GasBuddy on the go with its mobile app, which is available here. When you drive while monitoring the GasBuddy app (safely, of course), a map of the surrounding areas will provide the latest available information on where to find fuel nearby.

SEE ALSO:

• Where To Find Gas In GA: Colonial Pipeline Attack
• State Of Emergency Declared In GA After Colonial Pipeline Attack
• Cybersecurity Attack Halts GA-Based Gas Pipeline Operations
• Panic Drives Up Fuel Demand As Colonial Pipeline Shutdown Continues

Do you know of a gas station in town that still has supply? Tell us about it in the comment section.