White House Eases Shipping Restrictions as Gas Stations in the Southeast Run Dry
Colonial Pipeline said Wednesday it has “initiated the restart of pipeline operations” after suffering a cyberattack while warning it would take several days for supply to return to normal.
The restart of operations around 5 p.m. ET is welcome news across the Southeast, which was gripped by a wave of panic-buying that led to severe gasoline shortages over the last two days. The hoarding of gasoline happened after Colonial said it would suspend supplies through a critical pipeline following the cyberattack.
The announcement comes as stations have been pumping out days’ worth of fuel in a matter of hours, and a growing number are going empty. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has been begging Americans not to put fuel into plastic bags, or anything not designed to carry gasoline.
