Motorists in the southeast can expect to see fuel flowing at local pumps in the coming days.
The Colonial Pipeline announced this week the restart of pipeline operations. While it will take several days for operations to get back to normal, this news will help to ease the supply strain seen on the East Coast – especially in southern Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia and Tennessee. These areas are experiencing reduced fuel availability in parts of their markets.
This should also ease the pressure on Kentucky, which was not directly impacted by the pipeline incident, but still experienced sporadic shortages in some communities where demand spiked.
“The restart of the pipeline is very positive news for motorists,” said Lori Weaver Hawkins, public and government affairs manager, AAA Blue Grass. “While the impact won’t be seen immediately and motorists in affected areas can expect to see a few more days of limited fuel supply, relief is coming. Station pumps will be full of fuel in several days. This is an especially welcome update ahead of the Memorial Day holiday, with 34 million Americans planning road trips over the holiday weekend, a 52% increase from a year ago.”
The national gas price average increased from $2.94 last Thursday, before the incident, to $3.03 today. The national average pushed past the $3/gallon mark this week – the highest average since October 2014. The national average is likely to continue to see fluctuation in the coming days and states where prices have spiked will see some relief as the pipeline becomes fully operational.
During that same time period, the gas price for a gallon of regular unleaded in Kentucky went from $2.82 last Thursday to $2.87 today. Communities along the Kentucky borders tended to see greater fluctuations, while other cities prices remain stable or even come down slightly.
If you are planning to travel soon throughout the south/southeast coast:
• If you own more than one vehicle, use the most fuel-efficient model.
• Plan ahead. Bring groceries and other necessities with you to reduce making trips to and from stores and restaurants while you’re at your destination.
• Fill up before getting to your destination.
• Avoid driving during high-traffic times of day.
• Pack lightly. Remove unnecessary and bulky items from your car and don’t use your roof rack or a special cargo carrier. It takes more fuel to accelerate a heavier car, and the reduction in fuel economy is greater for small cars than larger models.
• Don’t travel with a container carrying extra fuel in your car.
If you’re already on the road and will be traveling throughout the south/southeast coast:
• Have a Plan B in case you need to stay longer or can only make it part of the way home (find a stopping point).
• Minimize your use of air conditioning. Even at highway speeds, open windows have less effect on fuel economy than the engine power required to operate the air conditioning compressor.
• In hot weather, park in the shade or use a windshield sunscreen to lessen heat buildup inside the car. This reduces the need for air conditioning (and thus, fuel) to cool down the car.
AAA Blue Grass
