White House Statement on Gas Lines Beginning on East Coast as Fuel Starts Runing Out

Rising unemployment, massive inflation, “stagflation” and now gas lines…  Looks like that recent meeting with Jimmy Carter was about recreating the 1970’s.

The White House responds to fuel shortages appearing in the mid-Atlantic and southeast:

“The President continues to be regularly briefed on the Colonial Pipeline incident.  The Administration is continually assessing the impact of this ongoing incident on fuel supply for the East Coast.

We are monitoring supply shortages in parts of the Southeast and are evaluating every action the Administration can take to mitigate the impact as much as possible.  The President has directed agencies across the Federal Government to bring their resources to bear to help alleviate shortages where they may occur.” (read more)

The statement from the White House is a little obtuse, considering the administration has yet to waive the Jones Act to streamline fuel transportation.

To be fair, the current areas running out of gas are more likely a combination of panic purchasing than an actual fuel supply issue.  However, as seen in regions where hurricanes lead to panic purchasing, the lack of fuel can be an issue that cascades quickly.