East coast gas shortage

I'm kinda surprised I didn't see something about this on here, since it's affecting so many people!

From basically every news source around, it looks like the story goes as follows: Russian financed criminal group Darkside performed a cyberattack on the Colonial pipeline, infecting it with ransomware and effectively shutting it down.  This pipeline supplies about 45% of the fuel to the east coast.  So far we've seen gas prices sharply increasing in many areas, and some gas stations have been reporting that they're running out of gas.  Adding to this, a gas supplier in Pensacola, FL was shut down due to EPA violations, creating more shortages in that area. 

I live just outside of Richmond, VA.  I'm aware of a few stations in my area out of gas, as of yesterday evening and this morning.  Should be interesting to see the extent of impact this will have.  

Panic buying here in the Florida panhandle, like someone flipped a switch yesterday.  All the gas stations in the area have long lines, the smaller ones ran out yesterday.  There wasn't a shortage here until people got scared and now there is one.  New supply should reach stations by the end of the week.  The pipeline isn't actually the problem, it's getting enough truck drivers to make deliveries.  This problem existed before the pipeline shut down.  Luckily I don't go back to the office until next week, so I hope to outlast the insanity. 

93 octane is pushing $3.89 / gallon here in the Midatlantic, but I haven't seen any evidence of shortages or panic buying.

If anyone here works in the oil pipeline industry:  No, there are not hot singles local to your area looking for a date tonight via your work email address.

red_stapler said:

If anyone here works in the oil pipeline industry:  No, there are not hot singles local to your area looking for a date tonight via your work email address.

That's a really good point - all of this probably could have been prevented if the employees had better cybersecurity training

There is also a shortage of truck drivers to deliver fuel. When the 'Rona hit, people stopped traveling so fuel usage dropped off and companies had to lay off the drivers that they no longer needed. A lot of those guys went to work for Amazon and FedEx and UPS, since they were going great guns. Now, as concerns abate and fuel usage goes up, there aren't enough drivers with the tanker endorsement on their CDLs because they've gone elsewhere.

infinitenexus said:

red_stapler said:

If anyone here works in the oil pipeline industry:  No, there are not hot singles local to your area looking for a date tonight via your work email address.

That's a really good point - all of this probably could have been prevented if the employees had better cybersecurity training

They usually get people with something like "here is the invoice you requested" emails because you know someone somewhere at that moment is likely waiting on an invoice.

In reply to red_stapler :

"Warning, your bank password has been leaked!  Click here to reset it!"

I gassed up two cars on Saturday by sheer luck. The FreeMW goes about two months on a tank with how little I drive anymore, and the Sedona gets about a month or so. I think I'll ride it out.

Yep, panic buying will create the shortage. Back when hurricane Harvey hit just the rumor of a shortage (there was none) caused people to fill garbage totes at gas stations all the way here in Austin.

My neighbor left on Sunday for a vacation to TN. bad luck.

NickD said:

There is also a shortage of truck drivers to deliver fuel. When the 'Rona hit, people stopped traveling so fuel usage dropped off and companies had to lay off the drivers that they no longer needed. A lot of those guys went to work for Amazon and FedEx and UPS, since they were going great guns. Now, as concerns abate and fuel usage goes up, there aren't enough drivers with the tanker endorsement on their CDLs because they've gone elsewhere.

This is going to cause a lot of problems this summer.

According to the truckers in the area, and there are a lot here where one of the largest UPS hubs on the East Coast meets the PA turnpike, it would be prudent to start stockpiling food and dry goods because it's not looking like enough drivers to move the farm crops through the summer.

Gas wise, prices jumped 30 cents between Thursday and Saturday.

I've got 12 gallons of 'something' hanging out in the right side tank of my Jag that has been sorta plugged off by the PO. 

$50 firm I know what i've got. 

Hedge your bets, be prepared, buy a Nissan Leaf

I've been meaning to fill up the containers I keep around for lawn mower use.  With my son mowing our neighbor's lawn, we chew through quite a bit of gas, especially in springtime.   Just got back.  Seven gallons to top off the Dooley, and another ten gallons for the lawn mowers.  That's 50 bucks shot to heck. 

The folks filling up next to me were talking about a gas shortage, but for what is a fairly busy neighborhood station, it was pretty quiet.  And they had gas.

Oh.... yes... another "useful" feature of cyber currency....

I filled up the truck yesterday morning by pure chance before I'd heard about the issues. Seemed normal. Yesterday evening there were all kind of panic stories bouncing around FB apparently, my mother even called to make sure we had filled up. The missus filled up her car on the way in this morning and said it was busier than normal but not absurd. 

I suspect there would have been no local problems at all if no one had started panic-buying. OTOH, the missus can work from home just fine and I can bike to work if need be. 

I did make the comment to the head of our IT department - looks like someone clicked the wrong email, lol.

Duke said:

93 octane is pushing $3.89 / gallon here in the Midatlantic, but I haven't seen any evidence of shortages or panic buying.

 

You sad bastards have reached northern Illinois premium prices.  

infinitenexus said:

red_stapler said:

If anyone here works in the oil pipeline industry:  No, there are not hot singles local to your area looking for a date tonight via your work email address.

That's a really good point - all of this probably could have been prevented if the employees had better cybersecurity training

That's not how big companies get hacked. 

Filled up my Mazda3 yesterday and a 2-1/2 gallon can for the mower at 2.75...today I went out in Mrs VCH's Suburban, noticed it was at half a tank, and filled it up. Same station, 8 cents more per gallon than yesterday. It'll get worse before it gets better, but luckily we don't have any big trips planned.

I saw a FB post yesterday about Pensacola being out of gas & someone commented about stations on the north side of Gulfport being out, so I headed to our closest station. There were no lines & no signs of shortage there, but we're supposed to head to NM this weekend & im a bit worried about finding gas along the way. 

z31maniac said:

That's not how big companies get hacked. 

Sadly, it's more common than you think:

https://www.clearedin.com/blog/phishing-biggest-data-breaches-of-all-time

I'm working on a degree in cybersecurity right now.  Phishing is the most commonly used method for pretty much any target.

Haven't witnessed any panic buying here in my neck of the central PA woods, traffic at the pumps has been normal. Good thing too, since my truck is on E, the FRS has maybe 1/4 tank, Buell is probably under half a tank, and I just emptied the gas can mowing the grass last night. So if there's a shortage coming, I might be riding to work on horseback!

In reply to infinitenexus :

I would hate to be the pipeline CEO telling the CIO to go ahead and pay it.   That's gotta suck.