Here on the southeast coast of North Carolina people are freaking out and gas stations in some areas, including my own, have run out of gas. I only have a quarter tank in my motorhome and that won't get me to Savannah. Unfortunately, I'm already registered with N2 for Friday and WERA for Sunday. Hey Mongo, watcha thinking?
I'm thinking we're going racing. My guess is they'll turn the pipeline on before the panic gets too much worse. Everything I've read is they shut the computers down as a precaution not because the ransomware is hurting anything directly.
The shortage isn't because of the pipeline, its because people are freaking out. NY Times today; "Gas stations in Georgia and other southeastern states were selling two to three times their normal amount of gasoline on Tuesday, according to the Oil Price Information Service, an organization that tracks the oil sector. Some stations are running out of fuel while others are limiting purchases to 10 gallons. “It is clear that a substantial slice of southeastern geography is seeing the panic behavior normally associated with hurricanes,” the organization said." So, I'm thinking if the pipeline is turned on it isn't likely to improve matters until next week and everyone calms down.
From Pilot/Fliying J To our Valued Guests: We are closely monitoring the rapidly changing Colonial Pipeline situation and are seeing increased demand for gasoline across various markets in the Southeast region. Diesel is still holding steady in most areas. The increased strain on the supply chain is causing supplies to get tighter. Currently, diesel is available at most of our locations with select stores experiencing outages as we work to bring in more supply. We will continue to do everything we can, including bringing in resources and extra drivers from unaffected areas, to meet demand and restore supply where needed at our travel centers. Additionally, please be aware of the recent Georgia Governor’s Executive Order dated May 10, 2021, which suspended the collection of motor fuel and diesel fuel taxes required by Code Section 48-9-3. More details on this are below. We greatly appreciate your patience as we work to keep up with the quickly evolving market and will inform you of any changes to diesel supply availability. Store Operations & Supply Conditions: All locations are open. No Gas, Diesel Only: Pilot #425, Midway, FL Pilot #6996, Warsaw, NC Pilot #6990, Kenly, NC Pilot #256, Danville, VA Pilot #500, Jasper, FL Flying J #712, Columbia, SC No Gas or Diesel: Pilot #7971, Conover, NC (Diesel delivery tonight) Pilot #7996, Monroe, NC (Diesel delivery tonight) No Diesel: Pilot #56, Kannapolis, NC (Diesel delivery tonight) Flying J #713, Latta, SC Pilot #4584, Latta, SC (Diesel delivery tonight) Flying J #623, Quincy/Midway, FL (Diesel delivery tonight) Pilot #4557, Carnesville, GA Georgia Excise Tax Executive Order: We are aware of the recent Georgia Governor’s Executive Order dated May 10, 2021 which suspended the collection of motor fuel and diesel fuel taxes required by Code Section 48-9-3. With the Colonial Pipeline down, we are required to transport fuel from out of state to our Georgia travel centers, which is creating additional issues as several states will require state excise states to be charged if Georgia taxes are not charged. We are attempting to get more information on the proper handling of this order. In the meantime, we request that you maintain your receipts for any cash or credit card purchases made on May 11, 2021 through 11:59pm on May 15, 2021, or until further guidance from the State of Georgia on the best way to handle this situation dictates otherwise. Based on guidance received, we will review all direct bill and billing card invoices and make adjustments or corrections as needed. We appreciate the opportunity to serve you and thank you for your patience during this time.
Just to make it official - after a lot of research and watching things with regard to the unwarranted fuel panic, the event this weekend at Roebling Road Raceway is going on as scheduled with an N2 track day tomorrow, endurance racing Saturday and sprint racing on Sunday. There are still fuel shortages in some urban areas in the Southeast however with a little planning and using something like the gasbuddy app you can still find plenty of fuel along all the routes to the track and there is fuel readily available in and around Savannah. See you all there!
