Gas pipeline to be up at 100 percent; ‘Topping off’ blamed for exacerbating shortage

Georgia’s gas situation is expected to continue improving over the next several days, though it will take about two weeks for stations in metro Atlanta to get back to their normal levels, officials said Tuesday morning.

By the end of Tuesday, the pipelines that transport gas to metro Atlanta are expected to be up to 100 percent capacity, said GEFA Executive Director Chris Clark. It will still be some time before gas stations return to their normal levels, he added.

“We’re so far behind it’s going to take a while,” Clark said, noting that some Atlanta area motorists are still frustrated with the situation. “... Things are getting better and we expect they’re going to continue to get better.”

Randy Bly of AAA South said he expects it could take as long as two weeks for Atlanta’s gas supply to return to normal, though there will be continued improvement of gas availability. The only hiccup could be on Friday perhaps as customers look to gas up for the weekend, Bly said.

Clark said motorists should continue to conserve fuel.

If motorists avoided topping off their tanks, the gas situation would significantly improve, Clark added.

Meanwhile the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority is partnering with atlantagasprices.com in an effort to help drivers frustrated by trying to find stations with gas, Clark said. Another private website providing such information is from Wright Express, available here.

AAA is encouraging drivers to follow their normal fuel habits and avoid filling up when they still have a substantial amount of gas in the tank. The “topping off” habit makes the fuel shortage a lot worse than it could have been, Bly said.

The main problem areas in Georgia have been in the Interstate 85 corridor going from Atlanta all the way to the Carolinas, Bly said. But metro Atlanta has been the hardest hit area by the fuel shortage, he added.

The Atlanta experience was similar to the previous week in Nashville, where it was estimated that at one point between 80 percent and 90 percent of stations were without fuel, Bly said.

The shortage is attributed to the closing of numerous refineries in the Texas and Louisiana areas as a result of Hurricane Ike, and many were slow to come back online after the storm because they needed repairs.

GEFA has also taken action during the gas shortage to divert diesel fuel shipments so schools and public safety agencies wouldn’t run out, Clark noted.

As of Tuesday morning, production in the Gulf is at about 45-50 percent of its normal capacity, Clark said. And only two oil refineries remain closed, he added.

The Georgia Clean Air Campaign offers a host of options for commuters at its website: www.cleanaircampaign.com. There’s also a carpool matching service from a separate entity that allows users to register in a database that includes hundreds of other people wanting to partner for commuting purposes in carpools or vanpools. To register, visit www.myridesmart.com.