GA Gas Shortage Could Last Next Two Weeks; Over By Memorial Day

GEORGIA — After restarting the Colonial Pipeline, the company said Thursday morning that each market it services will receive product Thursday. But a different update on Thursday afternoon states that Georgia's gas stations may not be back to regular operations until the end of the month.

Alpharetta-based Colonial Pipeline Co. — which provides roughly 45 percent of all fuel consumed on the East Coast to more than 50 million Americans — was the victim of a cyber security attack Friday, and the company ultimately halted its operations.

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

"Colonial Pipeline has made substantial progress in safely restarting our pipeline system and can report that product delivery has commenced in a majority of the markets we service," the company said in a statement Thursday. "By midday today, we project that each market we service will be receiving product from our system."

The pipeline hack has caused a panic among Georgians and Americans across the Southeast region.

Nearly three out of every four gas stations in metro Atlanta were out of gas Wednesday night, 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.

However, De Haan said Georgians should except "about 7-14 days of headaches."

"The situation will definitely take time and slowly improve due to a high number of outages and higher number of stations to refuel," De Haan said on Twitter.

Colonial said its team members across the pipeline worked through Wednesday night to get the lines running.

The green-segmented areas on this map are operational, meaning product delivery has commenced, Colonial said. Areas designated by blue lines will be operational later Thursday, the company said.

Gov. Brian Kemp said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved Georgia using the fuel stored for the winter, as price gouging continues.

During a news conference Wednesday, Kemp said that on Tuesday night, a waiver to allow Georgia to dip into its reserve fuel storage was approved 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 Colonial Pipeline will be able to resume normal operations by the end of the week.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said Wednesday he is issuing a temporary and targeted Jones Act waiver to an individual company. This waiver will enable the transport of additional gas and jet fuel between the Gulf Coast and East Coast ports to ease supply constraints.

“In the interest of national defense, I have approved a temporary and targeted waiver request to an individual company," Mayorkas said in a statement. "This waiver will help provide for the transport of oil products between the Gulf Coast and East Coast ports to ease oil supply constraints as a result of the interruptions in the operations of the Colonial Pipeline. The decision to approve the waiver was made after careful consideration and consultation with interagency partners across the federal government. The Departments of Transportation, Energy, and Defense were consulted in order to assess the justification for the waiver request and ensure the approval of the waiver is in the interest of national defense.”

Kemp said he spoke with school district officials earlier 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 such as the Department of Transportation, Kemp said.

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

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 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 were more than 300 complaints of price gouging in Georgia.

SEE ALSO:

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