Parts of the nation still having gasoline shortages

Parts of the USA are still running short of gasoline five days after Hurricane Ike knocked out 20% of the nation’s refining capacity.

The crunch is especially severe in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, which get their gas through pipelines from the Gulf region. It’s largely hitting stations and convenience stores not affiliated with big brands such as ExxonMobil.


The shortages continue as oil prices rose nearly 7% Wednesday, with investors fleeing stocks amid Wall Street turmoil and returning, if only briefly, to commodities. U.S. crude oil prices settled at $97.16 a barrel, up $6.01. Oil prices had skidded for two months on weak demand and a strengthening dollar.

Nationwide, prices for regular gasoline averaged $3.855 a gallon, up 20 cents from a week ago, AAA says.

In South Carolina, many stations are running dry, though the situation improved Wednesday as oil companies started drawing from gasoline reserves, says Michael Fields, head of the state Petroleum Marketers Association. Premium gasoline is especially scarce. Previously, he says, most stations could not even get regular.

USA Today