Companies are continuing to warn against the diesel fuel shortage and how it will affect the trucking industry moving forward. 
South Carolina Trucking Association CEO Rick Todd recently spoke about the problems facing trucking businesses and the reasons behind the fuel shortage, as well as high costs. 
“Truckers are feeling the hurt right now. Supply chain challenges just keep coming,” he <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/trucking-oil-companies-ramp-warnings-diesel-shortage-put-ourselves-situation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on Fox News, adding that truckers often essentially pay cash for gas and don’t get paid for several weeks or more. 
Todd also advocated for a more gradual approach to integrating new technology.
&#8220;We should … as a country take a longer-term view, do everything we can, put everything on the table,&#8221; Todd said. &#8220;But in the meantime, stick with what works until you can replace it, and then make sure that when you do replace it, that it&#8217;s scalable.” 
&#8220;Nobody wants to be force-fed any alternative technologies or anything until they&#8217;re done,&#8221; he added. &#8220;So I think we put ourselves in this situation unnecessarily.”
A few weeks ago, numbers were released that revealed the country has 25 days of diesel reserves, leading to high delivery costs this month. However, as diesel production is expected to continue, the U.S. is not projected to run out despite having limited supply.
The costs are up nearly 40% for the month of November. The smaller companies are the ones who will feel the pain the most. 
&#8220;There&#8217;s no way any company can absorb cost increases like this, and any business that can&#8217;t pass on their costs isn&#8217;t going to stay in business for very long,&#8221; Todd said. &#8220;The larger fleets are a little bit better positioned to deal with these kind[s] of conditions, but the smaller fleets … 91% of the nation&#8217;s truck fleet, these companies have six or fewer trucks.”
&#8220;So we&#8217;re really talking about Main Street-type businesses, and it&#8217;s a huge strain on them to be able to keep up with these costs,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;They try to pass them on, but rarely are they able to do it 100%.”
Fuel supply business Mansfield Energy recently said the northeastern and southeastern areas of the United States will see shortage of diesel fuel, The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/energy-company-warns-of-diesel-shortages-in-multiple-parts-of-the-country" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
He said the diesel shortage is “a combination of bad policies,” but added that a lot of factors have been outside of their control, as well. 
In addition, oil costs could get up to $100 this year and be more than $120 in trading in 2023, a leading analyst Amrita Sen of Energy Aspects noted, per <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/commodities/oil-prices-diesel-crisis-shortage-eia-biden-energy-europe-russia-2022-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Business Insider</a>. 
&#8220;We are expecting [oil] prices to go towards $100 into the year end, and really trade into the $110s and $120s for most of next year,&#8221; Sen told <a href="https://twitter.com/bsurveillance/status/1587050604765057024?cxt=HHwWgMC4mbqHq4YsAAAA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bloomberg</a> earlier this week. 
However, the diesel shortage is a bigger problem. 
&#8220;We just haven&#8217;t built [diesel supplies] over the summer,&#8221; Sen said. &#8220;And that&#8217;s what we tend to use in the winter if it does get very, very cold.&#8221;

A clear day in Nevada

Trucking CEO Discusses Diesel Shortage, Says ‘Truckers Are Feeling The Hurt Right Now’

South Carolina Trucking Association CEO Rick Todd Discusses Diesel Shortage, Says ‘Truckers Are Feeling The Hurt Right Now’

Energy

Gas Prices

Gas Shortage

Truckers

U.S.

Democrat President Joe Biden said during remarks on Thursday that it was fair for Americans to expect to have to pay record high gas prices for &#8220;as long as it takes&#8221; for Russia to be defeated in Ukraine, even though gas prices were surging well before the invasion occurred.
Biden made the remarks to reporters during a brief question and answer session while in Madrid at a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit.
&#8220;The war has pushed prices up,&#8221; a reporter said. &#8220;They could go as high as $200 a barrel, some analysts think.&#8221;
&#8220;How long is it fair to expect American drivers and drivers around the world to pay that premium for this war?&#8221; the reporter asked.
&#8220;As long as it takes,&#8221; Biden responded, &#8220;so Russia cannot in fact defeat Ukraine and move beyond Ukraine. This is a critical, critical position for the world. Here we are. Why do we have NATO? I told Putin that in fact, if he were to move, we would move to strengthen NATO. We would move to strengthen NATO across the board.&#8221;
WATCH:
https://twitter.com/thejcoop/status/1542497116140052480

GERMANY-POLITICS-G7-SUMMIT

Biden On How Long It’s ‘Fair To Expect’ Americans To Pay Historic Gas Prices: ‘As Long As It Takes’ To Beat Putin

Biden Administration

Joe Biden

Oil and Gas

Biden administration officials are considering the use of the nation&#8217;s federal diesel reserve to help alleviate a growing energy shortage, according to a new report.
On Monday, a <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/3498056-biden-officials-eyeing-diesel-stockpile-to-ease-shortage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from The Hill addressed the concern, citing a discussion with an official with knowledge of the matter.
“The team has prepared emergency declarations for President authorize release from the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve if conditions deteriorate,” the official added. “We would call this a bridge to deal with short-term supply shortfalls.”
A White House official also revealed recent talk regarding usage of the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/23/energy/inflation-diesel-white-house/index.html?utm_campaign=wp_power_up&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=newsletter&amp;wpisrc=nl_powerup" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to</a> a Monday CNN Business report. The reserve reportedly holds about one million barrels of diesel, which would only cover about one day of supply in the region.
&#8220;It&#8217;s small potatoes. It might buy a couple of weeks or even months, but it doesn&#8217;t solve the underlying issues,&#8221; Andy Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates, told CNN.
The news comes as the nation&#8217;s average price for diesel hit $5.56 per gallon on Sunday, remaining near last week&#8217;s record of $5.58 per gallon, <a href="https://gasprices.aaa.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to</a> AAA.
“While gasoline prices get much of the attention, diesel, which broadly is the fuel that moves the economy, has quietly surpassed its recent record high as distillate inventories, which include diesel and jet fuel, have plummeted to their lowest level in years,” GasBuddy chief petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan said in a <a href="https://www.gasbuddy.com/newsroom/pressrelease/2022/04/29/1110" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a> last week.
“Should distillate inventories fall another five million barrels, which is less than five percent, they will be at their lowest level in nearly 20 years, compounding the problem. There’s no quick solution as the economy has seen a robust turn around, made worse by Russia’s war on Ukraine as the West fences off Russia’s oil,&#8221; he added.
Prices for regular gas hit record highs last week as well, hitting $4 or more per gallon in every state, The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/every-state-in-the-u-s-is-now-paying-4-a-gallon-for-gasoline-aaa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
In addition to Russia&#8217;s invasion of Ukraine, experts have pointed out some potential contributing factors to the ongoing surge in prices at the pump. The Biden administration has continued to be critical of American oil and natural gas production.
The Department of the Interior <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/while-gas-hits-record-high-biden-administration-cancels-enormous-alaska-oil-and-gas-lease-sale">canceled a massive lease</a>, totaling more than 1 million acres, in the Cook Inlet in Alaska, citing a “lack of industry interest in leasing in the area.”
The DOI also canceled two lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico because of “conflicting court rulings that impacted work on these proposed lease sales.”
Biden also shut down the Keystone XL pipeline on his first day in office, and has previously nominated anti-fossil fuel advocates like <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/key-biden-nominee-on-oil-companies-we-want-them-to-go-bankrupt-if-we-want-to-tackle-climate-change">Saule Omarova</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bidens-anti-fossil-fuel-fed-nominee-withdraws-after-confirmation-stalls">Sarah Bloom Raskin</a>. They have called for the financial sector to divest from fossil fuels.
The nation&#8217;s Strategic Oil Reserve has already been tapped on multiple occasions to help reduce gas prices. &#8220;The reserve currently contains 420 million barrels of crude oil, even after the recent releases,&#8221; <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/biden-considers-tapping-emergency-diesel-reserve-prices-record-high?intcmp=tw_fnc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to</a> a Monday Fox Business report.

gas sign

Biden Administration Considers Tapping Federal Diesel Reserve To Relieve Shortage

Pain at the pump is worsening nationwide, as every state in the United States is paying more that $4 a gallon for gas, according to AAA.
AAA&#8217;s <a href="https://gasprices.aaa.com/">Gas Prices tracker</a> broke another record Tuesday, with the national average price for a gallon of gas climbing to $4.523 per gallon. That number is nearly $1.50 more per gallon than last year, when the average price was $3.045. At the same time, the average price for a gallon of gas climbed above $4 in every state in the union.
The states of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Georgia were the final holdouts. Gas prices in Oklahoma rose to $4.01 per gallon, an increase of just over one cent from Monday&#8217;s average of $3.99. Prices in Kansas rose 2 cents, from $3.98 per gallon Monday to $4.00 Tuesday. In Georgia, prices climbed an additional 6 cents overnight, from $3.99 to $4.06 per gallon.
Prices in California also crossed the $6 threshold Tuesday. The statewide average rose to $6.02 per gallon Tuesday, up 4 cents from Monday&#8217;s average of $5.98 per gallon. Two states, Oregon and Alaska, crossed the $5 mark as well. Washington and Nevada have also seen prices rise above $5 a gallon in recent weeks.
Prices have also soared to record highs in Canada. GasBuddy Chief Petroleum Analyst <a href="https://twitter.com/GasBuddyGuy/status/1526596366675369985?s=20&amp;t=HWKl_KDfeok1_HGjMZT9GQ">Patrick de Haan</a> reported Tuesday that average prices in Canada surpassed $2 per liter for the first time ever.
The price of diesel continued to soar as well. The price of a gallon of diesel fuel rose to $5.57 Tuesday, continuing a streak of record-breaking price increases. Diesel prices broke records first in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-u-s-national-average-price-of-gasoline-hits-new-all-time-record-high-report-says">March</a> of this year, but began climbing again in April and have continued since then. This time last year, the price of a gallon of diesel was about $3.17.
Experts have pointed out a number of potential causes for the continued surge in prices at the pump. The Biden administration has continued to be critical of American oil and natural gas production.
The Department of the Interior <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/while-gas-hits-record-high-biden-administration-cancels-enormous-alaska-oil-and-gas-lease-sale">canceled a massive lease</a>, totaling more than 1 million acres, in the Cook Inlet in Alaska, citing a “lack of industry interest in leasing in the area.&#8221;
The DOI also canceled two lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico because of “conflicting court rulings that impacted work on these proposed lease sales.” Biden also shut down the Keystone XL pipeline on his first day in office, and has previously nominated anti-fossil fuel advocates like <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/key-biden-nominee-on-oil-companies-we-want-them-to-go-bankrupt-if-we-want-to-tackle-climate-change">Saule Omarova</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bidens-anti-fossil-fuel-fed-nominee-withdraws-after-confirmation-stalls">Sarah Bloom Raskin</a>, who have called for the financial sector to divest from fossil fuels.
In addition to lack of production, the U.S. is also experiencing a shortage of refinery capacity, especially for diesel fuel. According to the <a href="https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=48636">Energy Information Administration</a>, the U.S. achieved about 19 million barrels per day in refinery capacity in 2019. But capacity declined by 4.5%, or nearly 1 million barrels per day, in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and has not recovered.
As <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/why-diesel-fuel-costs-are-really-rising/">National Review&#8217;s</a> Jim Geraghty pointed out Tuesday, six major oil refineries closed down in 2020: the Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery in Philadelphia, PA; the Shell refinery in Convent, LA; the Tesoro Marathon refinery in Martinez, CA; the HollyFrontier refinery in Cheyenne, WY; the Western Refining refinery in Gallup, NM; and the Dakota Prairie refinery in Dickinson, ND. All but one of those refineries has been shut down permanently or converted into a refinery for processing biofuels.
Without these refineries and no existing plans to build new refineries or expand existing ones, as one Bloomberg headline put it: &#8220;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-13/gasoline-diesel-jet-fuel-refining-capacity-is-too-low-in-the-us-to-meet-demand">The US Can&#8217;t Make Enough Fuel and There&#8217;s No Fix in Sight.</a>&#8220;

Gasoline

Every State In The U.S. Is Now Paying $4 A Gallon For Gasoline: AAA

One executive sees no end in sight for gas above $3.00 per gallon.
Patrick de Hann — the Head of Petroleum Analysis for GasBuddy — said on FOX Business’ “<a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/gas-prices-above-3-per-gallon-to-remain-elevated-all-summer">Cavuto: Coast to Coast</a>” that gas prices may remain high through the summer. 
&#8220;Traditionally we see gas prices start declining in mid-to-late August as we start to see things [going] back to normal, kids going back to school, vacations basically ending,&#8221; de Hann remarked. &#8220;This year, though, I think the concern is that…the normal seasonal down-turning could be mitigated by the fact that offices are starting to see returns by fall and so commutes could start to increase.&#8221;
De Hann noted that a decrease in prices below $3.00 per gallon may not occur until October: &#8220;Keep in mind, too, with the prime of hurricane season now around the corner, there&#8217;s so many potential disruptions that could take gas prices even higher.&#8221;
Though de Hann asserted that it is too soon to tell whether President Biden’s climate change policies are driving the surge in gas prices, he said that in the long-term &#8220;absolutely, the Biden administration&#8217;s push to go green will probably have more of an impact.&#8221;
Indeed, the Biden administration maintains fossil fuel regulation as a top policy priority. 
In a recent speech to the nation’s college graduates, Biden <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-biden-tells-college-graduates-that-systemic-racism-climate-change-like-vietnam-war">likened</a> the Vietnam War to the challenge of climate change.
“The Vietnam War divided the nation and divided families,” the Commander-in-Chief said of the era in which he graduated college. “And now, you face another inflection point. As we put this pandemic behind us, rebuild our economy, root out systemic racism, and tackle climate change, we’re addressing the great crises of our time with a greater sense of purpose than ever before.”
Beyond <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/heres-what-each-of-bidens-42-executive-orders-will-actually-do">nixing</a> the permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline, Biden administration officials — such as climate czar John Kerry — <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/john-kerry-implies-net-zero-emissions-goal-not-good-enough-says-we-need-to-get-carbon-dioxide-out-of-the-atmosphere">believe</a> that even if the United States reaches net-zero emissions, “we still have to get carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.”
Vice President Harris — who recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kamala-harris-visits-u-s-mexico-border-says-it-was-always-the-plan-to-go">visited</a> the border for the first time since President Biden placed her in charge of addressing the migrant crisis — sees fighting climate change as a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kamala-harris-solution-to-ongoing-border-crisis-fighting-climate-change">key</a> to addressing illegal immigration.
“We want to help people find hope at home, and so we are focused on addressing both the acute factors and the root causes of migration. I believe this is an important distinction. We must focus on both,” Harris said. “First, the acute factors, the catastrophes that are causing people to leave right now; the hurricanes, the pandemic, the drought, and extreme food insecurity. Then there are the longstanding issues, the root causes. I’m thinking of corruption, violence and poverty, the lack of economic opportunity, the lack of climate adaptation and climate resilience, the lack of good governance.”
According to FOX Business, the average price of gas in the United States is $3.09 per gallon. In June 2020, the price was $2.17.

Gas lines

No End In Sight For Gas Above $3.00, Says Executive

The first four months of the Biden administration certainly have not been uneventful, but the coverage from the liberal media has been markedly different than under President Donald Trump.
On a host of issues, the coverage from left-leaning news outlets has kept President Joe Biden out of the story, while during the Trump administration, pretty much everything was about Orange Man Bad. To be fair, the former president made a lot of things about himself, but if the recent gas shortage happened under Trump (or any Republican president), how many news outlets would be blaming him and demanding a response? So far, there has been almost no pressure on the Biden administration to do something about the various issues erupting under his watch.
It was headline news when The Washington Post claimed the U.S. electricity grid was hacked through a utility in Vermont. It turned out that the real story was far more mundane: An employee’s laptop had some malware on it, but that laptop wasn’t connected to the electric grid and the malware had nothing to do with some Russian plot to hack America’s energy systems. Yet when the largest pipeline in the southeast U.S. gets its business computers hacked by a criminal gang, Israel and Hamas are seconds away from war, inflation jumps, and our Southern Border is being overrun by illegal immigrants, the main story from major news outlets is that Republicans ousted Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) from leadership.
To be clear, nothing Biden did or did not do caused the Colonial Pipeline hack. The affected computers weren’t even connected to the pipeline, but Colonial shut it down anyway as a precaution. People then panicked about a gas shortage, so they rushed to fill up their tanks and whatever else they could find to contain fuel. This caused gas stations to run out, leading to long lines and higher prices. Had everyone remained calm and considered that the pipeline would probably be brought back online soon, there wouldn’t have been an issue. But as such, we had a short-lived crisis.
Had that happened under Trump, he would have been blamed, constantly questioned about how it was his fault or how he needed to fix it, demanding he reassure the American people, etc. But Biden — as we can expect will be the case for the entirety of his presidency — gets a pass from the sycophantic media.
Eight months ago, Trump achieved historic deals between several Arab nations and Israel. It was a start, and it signaled the beginning of potential change in the region. More work was obviously needed, but the Biden administration’s Middle East policy has been an abrupt change – abandoning Israel, trying to cozy up to Iran, while disparaging countries like Saudi Arabia, which is far from perfect but is at least willing to work with us (and not a threat to nuke the planet). Now, the media reports on rocket fire into Israel every few years, but had the current situation happened under Trump, there would have been a lot more media pressure and blame. As it stands now, Trump is <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/05/12/so-much-abraham-accords-trump-made-things-worse-middle-east/">still</a> getting blamed for the conflict even though he is out of office.
Next, we’re seeing inflation at levels not seen since the Great Recession, but yet again, coverage is steered away from Biden and his administration in a way it wouldn’t be if Trump were president. Trump’s tax cuts would be blamed, as would his spending and, of course, his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, Biden’s rampant spending is left out of the discussion, as is his suggested policies of massive tax hikes. Further, the disastrous April jobs report has already been lost to memory. Again, if Trump were president, this would all still be front page, top-of-the-hour news, with “experts” (code for former Obama officials) on news outlets round the clock to explain how this is all Trump’s fault and how President Barack Obama supposedly did everything right.
Finally, we have the ongoing Border Crisis, which the Biden administration wants to call a “challenge.” As NewsBusters <a href="https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/rich-noyes/2021/05/12/tv-buries-bidens-worse-ever-border-crisis">reported</a> on Wednesday, networks are “burying” the staggering numbers behind the Border Crisis. In April, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, there were 178,622 apprehensions at the Southwest border region, with 17,171 unaccompanied children intercepted. The number of migrant children at border facilities (what the media called “kids in cages” under Trump) has doubled in the past two months. But while the situation on the border is getting worse, the media’s coverage of it has dropped 61%. Further, NewsBusters noted, Biden and his policies “were completely shielded from blame in a majority (48) of the 88 stories aired during these two months.”
If Trump were still president, we’d be subjected to round-the-clock coverage blaming him for each of these issues, with daily op-eds in major publications doing the same and suggesting someone from the administration be fired. The coverage would look less like news and more like tabloid gossip, with every response parsed to death and all intent deemed negative. As it stands, that kind of media coverage is reserved for Republican leadership battles.
The views expressed in this piece are the author&#8217;s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Media’s Coverage of Crises Under Biden Would Look A Lot Different If Trump Were In Office

Donald Trump

Inflation

Israel

Colonial Pipeline paid nearly $5 million in ransom to Eastern European hackers who compromised the energy company&#8217;s pipeline system according to a <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-13/colonial-pipeline-paid-hackers-nearly-5-million-in-ransom">Thursday report from Bloomberg</a>.
The gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel company paid the ransom to a hacker group called DarkSide earlier this week, the outlet said, based on reports from two sources close to the situation. The deposit helped get the pipeline back online on Wednesday afternoon, though because of the stoppage, it still may be several days before the supply is back to normal across the southeast.
&#8220;Colonial Pipeline Co. paid nearly $5 million to Eastern European hackers on Friday, contradicting reports earlier this week that the company had no intention of paying an extortion fee to help restore the country’s largest fuel pipeline, according to two people familiar with the transaction,&#8221; Bloomberg noted Thursday.
The company paid the ransom in &#8220;untraceable cryptocurrency,&#8221; according to the outlet, and the Biden administration was aware that that the company intended to pay the $5 million to hackers the White House suggested, Wednesday, could be Russian or affiliated with Russia. The group, which admitted they were responsible for locking up Colonial Pipeline&#8217;s servers on Monday, claims they are not affiliated with any government and that their motivation is primarily financial, not political.
Media outlets insisted, earlier this week, that Colonial Pipeline had no intention of paying the nearly $5 million that DarkSide demanded to release the clogged server. Fox Business reported Wednesday that &#8220;the pipeline operator refused to pay, enlisting help from the Department of Energy, as well as federal, state and local authorities instead.&#8221;
Bloomberg claimed Thursday that those reports were incorrect.
As for the Biden administration, the president claimed on Wednesday that he was in close contact with Colonial Pipeline officials and that he was aware of the progress the company was making to restore service. The White House did say that they did not pressure Colonial Pipeline to pay any ransom, though, on Monday, a deputy National Security Advisor admitted that &#8220;companies are often in a difficult position if their data is encrypted and they do not have backups and cannot recover the data.&#8221;
The FBI does not advise paying a ransom to hackers, as it is likely to encourage further attacks.
Colonial Pipeline, the U.S. government, and American consumers are still reeling from Friday&#8217;s attack, which &#8220;impacted fuel deliveries and triggered instances of panic-buying amid concerns of a shortage. Several governors declared states of emergency in response to the crisis,&#8221; according to Fox Business. In some areas, the attack drove fuel prices to a seven-year high; in some states, fuel was largely unavailable, causing lines and hours-long waits for gasoline.
The Biden administration is facing sharp criticism for its handling of the crisis. Yesterday, the White House <a href="https://twitter.com/scottlincicome/status/1392267479137849350">announced that it would respond to the shortage</a> by forming a blue-ribbon committee to explore the possibility of forming a second committee to develop proposals for Congress, which could allow the administration to waive certain trade restrictions in the event of another hacking event. On Thursday, President Joe Biden signed an executive order aimed at preventing future hacking issues, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/12/22433266/biden-executive-order-cybersecurity-government-infrastructure-colonial-pipeline-solarwinds-hafnium">per The Verge</a>.
&#8220;The executive order outlines a number of initiatives, including reducing barriers to information sharing between the government and the private sector, mandating the deployment of multi-factor authentication in the federal government, establishing a Cybersecurity Safety Review Board modeled after the National Transportation Safety Board, and creating a standardized playbook for responding to &#8216;cyber incidents,'&#8221; the outlet noted.

Colonial Pipeline Storage Tanks As Gas Pumps Run Dry

Report: Colonial Pipeline Paid Nearly $5 Million In Ransom To Hacker Group

Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm appeared at a press briefing at the White House on Tuesday and took questions about the gas crisis caused by a cyber attack against a major pipeline.
“I just have a question for each of you. I’ll start with you, Secretary Granholm, because ladies first,” a reporter asked. “Obviously, we have the acute issues with the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack. But looking more holistically in a macro view, how does this speed up the efforts at DOE to move in more of a renewable direction since this is going to have an impact on people at the pump?”
&#8220;Yeah, I mean, we obviously are ‘all in’ on making sure that we meet the president’s goals of getting to 100% clean electricity by 2035 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050,” Granholm said. “And, you know, if you drive an electric car, this would not be affecting you, clearly. “
“But it’s just — it’s another — it’s — I don’t want to — this company is acting in a responsible way,” Granholm said. “They took their pipeline down so that the ransomware would not spread. And so, up to this point, they have — they’re carefully reviewing so that they’re doing this in a responsible way.”
While Colonial Pipeline’s operations have resumed, at least in part, it will take more than two weeks for gasoline in Houston to reach many sites on the East Coast, according to new reports.
“Transit times for gasoline to pass through Colonial’s network of pipelines that allow oil products to flow from the U.S. Gulf Coast, up to its North Carolina hub, and then on to New York Harbor, is 14 days and 16 hours, at a speed of about 5 miles per hour, according to the most recent schedule sent to shippers,” Bloomberg News <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-11/n-y-must-wait-on-5-mph-gasoline-flow-once-pipeline-is-reopened">reported</a>. “Diesel and jet fuel, heavier and more dense products, need about 19 days to make the same trip that spans about 1,600 miles through the busiest pipeline system in America.”
Colonial on Friday was hit with a cyberattack that forced the closure of the 5,500-mile pipeline, which moves more than 100 million gallons of fuel from Texas to New Jersey every day — nearly 50% of the fuel consumed on the East Coast. The company suspended all operations since the attack, but on Thursday issued a statement saying operations have resumed.
The company said it “has made substantial progress in safely restarting our pipeline system and can report that product delivery has commenced in a majority of the markets we service.”
GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan said he expects shortages to get worse over the next two days, writing on Twitter: “While the Colonial Pipeline is restarting, the outage numbers may drift higher over the next 48 hours before then beginning to fall.”
De Haan, though, had a shorter timeline than Bloomberg. “About 7-14 days of headaches if you need fuel in GA, NC, SC or VA. The situation will definitely take time and slowly improve due to a high number of outages and higher number of stations to refuel,” he tweeted.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki Briefs Media

Biden’s Energy Secretary On Gas Crisis: If You Drove an Electric Car, ‘This Would Not Be Affecting You’

Department of Energy

Colonial Pipeline’s operations have resumed, at least in part, but it will take more than two weeks for gasoline in Houston to reach many sites on the East Coast.
&#8220;Transit times for gasoline to pass through Colonial’s network of pipelines that allow oil products to flow from the U.S. Gulf Coast, up to its North Carolina hub, and then on to New York Harbor, is 14 days and 16 hours, at a speed of about 5 miles per hour, according to the most recent schedule sent to shippers,&#8221; Bloomberg News reported. &#8220;Diesel and jet fuel, heavier and more dense products, need about 19 days to make the same trip that spans about 1,600 miles through the busiest pipeline system in America.&#8221;
Colonial on Friday was hit with a cyberattack that forced the closure of the 5,500-mile pipeline, which moves more than 100 million gallons of fuel from Texas to New Jersey every day — nearly 50% of the fuel consumed on the East Coast. The company suspended all operations since the attack, but on Thursday issued a statement saying operations have resumed.
The company said it &#8220;has made substantial progress in safely restarting our pipeline system and can report that product delivery has commenced in a majority of the markets we service.&#8221;
GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan said he expects shortages to get worse over the next two days, writing on Twitter: &#8220;While the Colonial Pipeline is restarting, the outage numbers may drift higher over the next 48 hours before then beginning to fall.&#8221;
De Haan, though, had a shorter timeline than Bloomberg. &#8220;About 7-14 days of headaches if you need fuel in GA, NC, SC, or VA. The situation will definitely take time and slowly improve due to a high number of outages and higher number of stations to refuel,&#8221; he tweeted.
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About 7-14 days of headaches if you need fuel in GA, NC, SC or VA. The situation will definitely take time and slowly improve due to a high number of outages and higher number of stations to refuel.
&mdash; Patrick De Haan ⛽️📊 (@GasBuddyGuy) <a href="https://twitter.com/GasBuddyGuy/status/1392819679492722692?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2021</a></blockquote>
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De Haan also posted a look at which states are hardest hit, with North Carolina and Virginia atop the list.
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6am CT: % of stations without gas: AL 9% DC 47% DE 5% FL 31% GA 49% KY 3% LA 0% MD 34% MS 7% NC 71% NJ 1% SC 54% TN 34% TX 0% VA 55% WV 6%
&mdash; Patrick De Haan ⛽️📊 (@GasBuddyGuy) <a href="https://twitter.com/GasBuddyGuy/status/1392813939197726725?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2021</a></blockquote>
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But Colonial was more optimistic. &#8220;Following this restart, it will take several days for the product delivery supply chain to return to normal,&#8221; Colonial Pipeline said in a statement. &#8220;Some markets served by Colonial Pipeline may experience, or continue to experience, intermittent service interruptions during the start-up period.&#8221;
&#8220;Colonial will move as much gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel as is safely possible and will continue to do so until markets return to normal,&#8221; the statement added.
The White House on Wednesday said there is an “end in sight” to the crisis but urged Americans not to panic buy. “President Biden and the White House will monitor the situation closely in the coming days, and continue to urge Americans to just purchase what they need, and not hoard fuel, as supply is restored,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.
She also said &#8220;as Colonial Pipeline works to safely and fully resume operations over the next few days, we will stay in close contact with the company and will continue to offer any assistance needed—as we have done since the outset of this shutdown on Friday.&#8221;

More US states facing gas shortages after pipeline hack

East Coast Gas Supplies Could Take Two Weeks To Return To Normal, Experts Say

Gasoline is reportedly flowing through the Colonial Pipeline again following a cyber-attack that forced its closure, leading to gas shortages along the pipeline&#8217;s route from New Jersey to Texas.
Colonial Pipeline announced Wednesday that &#8220;it has begun a restart of its operations&#8221; and that gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel began flowing through the pipeline again around 5 pm EST. It will still be several days before product delivery returns to normal, the company said in a statement issued Wednesday afternoon.
&#8220;Colonial will move as much gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel as is safely possible and will continue to do so until markets return to normal,&#8221; the company added, <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/overnights/553245-overnight-energy-colonial-pipeline-restarting-operations">according to The Hill</a>.
As <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gas-pipeline-reportedly-still-days-away-from-reopening-as-stations-across-southeast-run-dry">The Daily Wire reported</a>, a &#8220;cyber attack forced the closure of the 5,500-mile pipeline, which moves more than 100 million gallons of fuel from Texas to New Jersey every day — nearly 50% of the fuel consumed on the East Coast.&#8221; The closure caused gas shortages and skyrocketing fuel prices across the east coast and into the southeast, largely because of panic buying.
&#8220;On Wednesday afternoon, 65 percent of gas stations in North Carolina, 44 percent of stations in Virginia, and 43 percent of stations in both Georgia and South Carolina were out of fuel, according to the gas price website GasBuddy,&#8221; The Hill noted.  &#8220;Other states are reporting fewer shortfalls, with 16 percent of stations in Tennessee, 11 percent of stations in Florida and Maryland, and 7 percent of stations in Alabama saying they were dry.&#8221; In some places, gas prices jumped to a seven-year high.
Wednesday morning, Colonial Pipeline was still struggling to return its pipeline to service, and had “only managed to restore some services and has given the vague timeline of when things will be back up and running,&#8221; according to a report from the Daily Mail, which noted that it was not clear why Colonial was having trouble restoring flow.
The Biden administration had, at one point, suggested that Colonial Pipeline pay a ransom to the cyberattackers, but Wednesday afternoon, the <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/05/12/biden-close-contact-colonial-pipeline-over-shutdown-gas-shortage/5060198001/">president admitted that the White House</a> had been in contact with Colonial and was working on the problem, according to USA Today.
The hacker group DarkSide took responsibility for the shutdown on Monday; the FBI later confirmed that DarkSide was, indeed, responsible for compromising Colonial Pipeline&#8217;s networks, according to the BBC.
&#8220;Our goal is to make money and not creating problems for society,&#8221; the group said in a statement on its website, adding that it was an &#8220;apolitical&#8221; group.
The United States government, however, reportedly remains concerned that Russia had a hand in the attack.
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&#8220;A number of cyber-security researchers, including firms contacted by the BBC, have speculated that the cyber-criminal gang could be Russian, as their software avoids encrypting any computer systems where the language is set as Russian,&#8221; the BBC reported Monday. &#8220;Mr. Biden said that the US government was concerned about this aspect of the cyber-attack.&#8221;
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&#8220;I&#8217;m gonna be meeting with President Putin and so far there is no evidence, based on our intelligence people, that Russia is involved,&#8221; Biden added in a news conference Monday. &#8220;Although, there&#8217;s evidence that the actors&#8217; ransomware is in Russia &#8211; they have some responsibility to deal with this.&#8221;
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Crisis Ended: Colonial Pipeline Restarts Operations Following Cyber-Attack

Colonial Pipeline, hit by cyber hackers and forced to shut down its operations, says it is still days away from resuming full operations, according to a new report.
The cyberattack forced the closure of the 5,500-mile pipeline, which moves more than 100 million gallons of fuel from Texas to New Jersey every day — nearly 50% of the fuel consumed on the East Coast, Fox News reported. The company has suspended all operations since the attack on Friday.
&#8220;As the shutdown nears its sixth day, it is still unclear why it is taking so long for Colonial to return to business as usual after insisting it would try to &#8216;substantially&#8217; restore operations by the end of the week,&#8221; the Daily Mail <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9568063/Why-taking-week-fix-Colonial-Pipeline.html">reported</a>.
The Mail said so far, Colonial has &#8220;only managed to restore some services and has given the vague timeline of when things will be back up and running.&#8221;
Amid panic buying that has emptied gas stations across the Southeast, the national average gas price jumped to a seven-year high on Wednesday.
&#8220;The shutdown of the biggest oil pipeline in the US due to a crippling cyberattack believed to be orchestrated by a Russia-based criminal group pushed Wednesday’s national average price to $3.008 per gallon of gas, according to the Automobile Association of America,&#8221; The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/05/12/gas-prices-hit-7-year-high-as-pipeline-shutdown-spurs-panic-buying/">reported</a>. &#8220;That’s the highest prices have been since November 2014, according to AAA, as closure of the 5,500-mile pipeline, which carries more than 100 million gallons of fuel from Texas to New Jersey each day, stretches into its sixth day.&#8221;
Meanwhile, four governors have declared states of emergency.
The White House said President Joe Biden is keeping an eye on the situation.
&#8220;The President continues to be regularly briefed on the Colonial Pipeline incident,&#8221; White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday. &#8220;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.&#8221;
&#8220;The President has directed agencies across the Federal Government to bring their resources to bear to help alleviate shortages where they may occur,&#8221; she said.
Demand for gasoline soared across the country on Monday. &#8220;The East Coast reported a 32.5% increase in demand Monday compared to the previous week, followed by the Midwest at 16.2%, the Gulf Coast at 13.1%, the Rocky Mountain region at 6.6% and the West Coast at 8.4%,&#8221; Fox News <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/colonial-pipeline-gas-shortages-widen-state-by-state-breakdown">reported</a>.
<a href="https://www.gasbuddy.com/">According</a> to Gasbuddy, which keeps track of prices across the country, North Carolina has been the state hit hardest, with nearly 15% of the state&#8217;s fuel stations suffering gasoline outages. On Monday, Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency &#8220;suspending motor vehicle fuel regulations to ensure adequate fuel supply supplies throughout the state.&#8221;
Florida, Georgia, and Virginia have also declared emergencies.
Florida&#8217;s governor, Republican Ron DeSantis said in a Tuesday executive order that &#8220;the disruption of Colonial Pipeline operations poses a significant and immediate threat to the continued delivery of such fuel products to the State of Florida.&#8221;

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