The major US pipeline network forced offline by a cyberattack began to reopen, its operator said on Wednesday, after a five-day shutdown prompted motorists to frantically stock up on gasoline and some gas stations on the US east coast to close.
Colonial Pipeline said that it would take “several days” before supplies return to normal.
Faced with a growing shortage, the White House announced that it had waived the US Jones Act — which blocks the use of non-US-flagged vessels to transport fuel.
Photo: Reuters
It will be “temporary and targeted” to the company, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement.
“This waiver will enable the transport of additional gas and jet fuel between the Gulf coast and east coast ports to ease supply constraints,” Psaki said.
The White House would continue to monitor the situation, she said, adding that people should “just purchase what they need, and not hoard fuel, as supply is restored.”
The move came after a dozen states — from Florida to Virginia — declared a state of emergency, heightening the sense of panic among consumers who flocked to gas stations bearing fuel cans and other containers to fill up.
On Friday last week, a ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline forced the company to shut down its entire network, hampering supply in eastern states.
Those few stations with fuel available on Wednesday saw long lines waiting to fill up.
In Florida, 73 percent of stations in the Pensacola area were out of fuel, according to gas price tracking site GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan.
In North Carolina’s Raleigh-Durham area, seven out of 10 stations ran out of gas, as did six out of 10 in Georgia’s capital, Atlanta.
“It’s crazy, but we got to deal with it,” customer Vanita told reporters in Raleigh on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, a separate oil pipeline continued operating, despite a shutdown demand from Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer that the operator said could lead to more fuel disruptions.
Whitmer in November last year ordered Line 5 closed because of the potential for a spill in a channel linking two of the Great Lakes.
As her Wednesday deadline arrived, Canadian pipeline company Enbridge said that only the federal government has regulatory authority over its operations.
“The cyberattack that triggered an unplanned, temporary closure brings to the forefront what consumers could face,” Enbridge director of operations for the Great Lakes region Mike Moeller said. “Without Line 5, consumers will shoulder the burden of supply disruptions and related price increases, particularly for propane and transportation fuel.”
Additional reporting by AP
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