After the Russia-based DarkSide ransomware gang hit the Colonial Pipeline, the company began limited shipments Monday night. Oklahoma most likely won’t be affected by the shutdown according to AAA Oklahoma.
The line runs from Greensboro, North Carolina to Maryland. However, Colonial’s two main lines that connect the refinery operations in Houston, Texas to North Carolina and one that runs to New Jersey were still inoperative on Tuesday.
Mark Madeja with AAA Oklahoma said prices in the Sooner state won’t see a bounce because of what happened on the East Coast, explaining the Cushing hub is in Oklahoma, “we have our refineries here” and a dedicated line that comes from the Gulf of Mexico.
“Oklahoma in general” should be fine he added.
Some states such as Tennessee, Mississippi and others on the east coast saw price jumps of 3 to 7 cents a gallon after the Colonial shutdown. Colonial delivers an estimated 45% of the gasoline to the east coast.
However, summer time driving is approaching and Madeja said it will eventually mean an increase in gasoline prices.
“Now that we are starting to travel more post-COVID, summer travel is expected to be off the charts, road trips are going to be very popular. So, I expect to see a lot of vehicle miles traveled this summer. That demand in and of itself will push prices upward, most likely, but not by a lot,” Madeja told Public Radio Tulsa.
Oklahoma’s average gasoline price is $2.70 a gallon and is still among the 10 least-expensive markets. Only Texas, Alabama, South Carolina, Louisiana and Mississippi are lower.
Nationally, President Biden is being briefed on the pipeline’s status and the FBI continues its investigation. The federal government also lifted restrictions on truckers to help move gasoline supplies.