Long Charlotte gas lines persist, but relief on the way as pipeline resumes operation

As Charlotte-area drivers endured another day of long lines and empty fuel pumps on Wednesday, the pipeline company that shut down after a ransomware attack said relief is near.

Colonial Pipeline Co. said it restarted pipeline operations at about 5 p.m. Wednesday but cautioned that it could take several days “for the product delivery supply chain to return to normal.”

A ransomware attack that targeted Colonial Pipeline on Friday forced the shutdown of the 5,550-mile pipeline that delivers 45 percent of fuel in the Southeast and along the East Coast. The FBI on Monday blamed the attack on DarkSide, a group of hackers, McClatchy News reported.

The pipeline crosses through Charlotte and the Carolinas. Colonial has a tank farm in northwest Charlotte.

Just before Colonial’s announcement Wednesday, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper told CNN: “We believe this problem is going to be fixed soon.”

In a statement, Colonial said some markets “may experience, or continue to experience, intermittent service interruptions during the start-up period.”

The company vowed to “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,” Colonial said, adding that it will perform a “comprehensive series of pipeline safety assessments” to comply with federal pipeline safety requirements.

Gas outages in NC, SC

About 71% of Charlotte gas stations had no gasoline as of Wednesday morning, GasBuddy.com reported, and the numbers were just as bad or worse elsewhere across the Carolinas.

In Raleigh/Durham, 72% of stations had no gasoline and 78% in Asheville and Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C., according to GasBuddy.com.

At 11 a.m. Wednesday, 28.2% of North Carolina gas stations and 16.2% in South Carolina were out of gas, according to GasBuddy.com. Those numbers jumped to 74% and 53% by 11 p.m., respectively.

By Thursday morning, however, 71% of gas stations in North Carolina were out, but South Carolina saw an increase to 54%.

A small increase in station outages is not surprising, but the recovery was expected to begin overnight, GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan said on Twitter.

North Carolina’s price gouging law is in effect, state Attorney General Josh Stein said Tuesday.

Residents who believe they are victims of price gouging can report concerns by calling 877-5-NO-SCAM or by filing a complaint at https://ncdoj.gov/file-a-complaint/price-gouging/.

Gas prices on the rise

The average price for regular unleaded gasoline in Charlotte and the rest of the state averaged about $2.88 on Thursday morning, and is likely to continue to rise, AAA reported.

Charlotte’s average regular unleaded price averaged $2.68 a week ago, according to AAA.

Nationally, the average price jumped 6 cents in a week to $2.96, AAA reported. And Thursday morning, the price climbed even higher, averaging about $3.03 a gallon for regular unleaded, AAA officials said.

Cooper declared a state of emergency on Monday and suspended “motor vehicle fuel regulations to ensure adequate fuel (supplies) throughout the state.” On Tuesday, he urged residents not to “rush to top off” their tanks.

Gas stations across the Charlotte area saw long lines and many ran out of gas by Tuesday afternoon, according to reports from drivers across social media and Observer staff members.

On Wednesday, Charlotte Area Transit System announced fare-free transit for all riders during the pipeline shutdown to help people get to work. CATS said it will issue another announcement before resuming fares.

ExxonMobil is working with its independent distributors and wholesale customers to supply fuel to areas affected by the pipeline shutdown and help meet consumer demand, company spokeswoman Julie L. King wrote in an email to the Observer on Tuesday.

“Efforts are under way to quickly transport refined products from unaffected regions to communities and customers in the most severely impacted markets,” she said.

Shell said it has been “engaged” with Colonial Pipeline to understand steps it is taking to resolve the gas issue, Curtis Martin, Shell’s head of US media relations, told the Observer in an email Tuesday.

No issues yet, CMPD says

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has seen no “widespread crime-related issues associated with the shortage,” the department said on Twitter on Wednesday morning.

“Patrol officers have been instructed to conduct consistent zone checks in response areas with gas stations to ensure operations are running as smoothly as possible.,” CMPD said.

At a news conference later Wednesday morning, CMPD Capt. Brad Koch said that before this week’s rush on gas pumps, police had experienced no fuel issues, “because we have been filling up our gas tanks” at the same places residents do.

A public safety emergency reserve exists for extreme circumstances, he said.

“Bottom line, this is not going to affect the operations of the police department at all,” said Koch, who heads the Central Division.

Officers are responding to 911 calls for service, but CMPD asks residents to call 311 for non-emergency requests or go to CMPD.org to file reports.

Police encourage residents to limit nonessential travel, to check on neighbors — especially older adults — and to not hoard fuel.

Koch said he had not heard of “gas rage” incidents, but he can see situations developing if the gas crisis continues.

“Treat each other with grace and courtesy and compassion and understanding, and know that we as a community are going to get through this fuel crisis,” Koch said.

NC Republicans demand answers

U.S. Rep. Ted Budd, R-NC, said Wednesday he is leading a group of six fellow Republican House members from North Carolina demanding answers and solutions from the U.S. Department of Energy about the Colonial Pipeline hack.

The delegation asked the agency to brief members of Congress as soon as possible on issues including how pipeline systems were compromised and when systems will be restored to “full capacity,” according to a letter signed by the delegation and sent to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

Charlotte-area House members who signed the letter included Dan Bishop, Virginia Foxx, Richard Hudson and Patrick McHenry.

No wait at COVID vaccine sites

People won’t waste gas if they stop by COVID-19 vaccination sites run by StarMed Healthcare, one of Mecklenburg County’s testing and vaccine partners.

There’s no wait time to get immunized in Charlotte — and it will only take five minutes to get tested for COVID-19, said Chief Medical Officer Dr. Arim Piramzadian.

”At this point, we’re encouraging everyone to carpool if they need to,” Piramzadian told the Observer. “If they don’t have gas, obviously stay home (and) stay safe.”

About 10% to 15% of StarMed employees are struggling to make it to work due to the gas shortage, Piramzadian said. But that’s not impeding operations — StarMed tends to run overstaffed clinics to keep the process efficient, he said.

NASCAR weekend racing uninterrupted

NASCAR doesn’t expect any impact on racing operations this weekend at Dover International Speedway due to the fuel crunch, a company spokesperson told the Observer on Wednesday.

NASCAR’s Xfinity Series Race in Dover is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Saturday in Dover, Delaware.

Sunoco, the “official fuel of NASCAR,” provides a 98 unleaded fuel blend specifically engineered for race cars called Sunoco Green E15, according to the company’s website.

Ways to conserve fuel

AAA offers these tips on saving the gasoline that’s left in your tank:

▪ Plan ahead to accomplish multiple errands in one trip.

▪ If you own more than one car, use the most fuel-efficient model.

▪ Remove unnecessary and bulky items from your car. It takes more fuel to accelerate a heavier car.

▪ Minimize your use of air conditioning.

▪ In hot weather, park in the shade or use a windshield sunscreen to lessen heat buildup inside the car.

Staff writers Rogelio Aranda, Alison Kuznitz and Alex Andrejev contributed.