The US pipeline network shut down by a cyber attack said Saturday it has returned to fully "normal operations," easing concerns but not immediately ending gas shortages affecting many Eastern states.

Colonial Pipeline had announced late Thursday that its system was back up and running but said it might take days for the supply delivery chain to return to normal.&nbsp;

But on Saturday, the Georgia-based company announced the full return to normal, "delivering millions of gallons per hour to the markets we serve," it said on Twitter.

Also read |&nbsp;<a data-ctorig="https://www.wionews.com/world/colonial-pipeline-reportedly-paid-roughly-5-million-in-ransom-to-hackers-384962" data-cturl="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/colonial-pipeline-reportedly-paid-roughly-5-million-in-ransom-to-hackers-384962&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwj9juXpo8zwAhVJxDgGHS9-DOIQFjAAegQIBBAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw2deFwt0NxOifEeRzwM0kXX" dir="ltr" href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/colonial-pipeline-reportedly-paid-roughly-5-million-in-ransom-to-hackers-384962&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwj9juXpo8zwAhVJxDgGHS9-DOIQFjAAegQIBBAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw2deFwt0NxOifEeRzwM0kXX" target="_blank">Colonial Pipeline&nbsp;Paid Roughly $5 Million in Ransom to Hackers</a>

Washington believes a Russia-based criminal group known as Darkside had targeted the company in a so-called ransomware attack.&nbsp;

On Friday, computer servers for Darkside were taken down by unknown actors. Security firm Recorded Future said Darkside had admitted in a web post that it lost access to certain servers, though reportedly only after receiving a $5 million ransom payment from Colonial Pipeline.

Also read |&nbsp;<a data-ctorig="https://www.wionews.com/world/colonial-pipeline-hackers-stole-large-amount-of-data-says-report-383887" data-cturl="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/colonial-pipeline-hackers-stole-large-amount-of-data-says-report-383887&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwj9juXpo8zwAhVJxDgGHS9-DOIQFjACegQIBhAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw0jvvl7wVGfNZ8IM1ZGMq86" dir="ltr" href="https://www.wionews.com/world/colonial-pipeline-hackers-stole-large-amount-of-data-says-report-383887" target="_blank">Colonial Pipeline&nbsp;hackers stole large amount of data, says report</a>

Former US Treasury secretary Larry Summers said on CNN that US officials had likely exerted heavy pressure on the Russian leadership to shut down the hackers.

Colonial's temporary shutdown led to panic buying, with frantic motorists from Florida to Maryland lining up at gas stations. The resultant surge in demand sent the national average price above $3 a gallon for the first time since late 2014.

Website GasBuddy said 81 percent of stations in Washington remained out of gas on Saturday, though the numbers in several eastern states were much better.&nbsp;

Colonial Pipeline operates the largest fuel conduit system in the United States, sending gasoline and jet fuel from the Gulf Coast of Texas to the populous east coast through a pipeline network serving 50 million consumers.

The US pipeline network shut down by a cyber attack said Saturday it has returned to fully "normal operations," easing concerns but not immediately ending gas shortages affecting many Eastern states.

The US pipeline network shut down by a cyber attack said Saturday it has returned to fully "normal operations," easing concerns but not immediately ending gas shortages affecting many Eastern states. Colonial Pipeline had announced late Thursday that its system was back up and running but said it might take days for the supply delivery chain to return to normal. But on Saturday, the Georgia-based company announced the full return to normal, "delivering millions of gallons per hour to the markets we serve," it said on Twitter. Also read | Colonial Pipeline Paid Roughly $5 Million in Ransom to Hackers Washington believes a Russia-based criminal group known as Darkside had targeted the company in a so-called ransomware attack. On Friday, computer servers for Darkside were taken down by unknown actors. Security firm Recorded Future said Darkside had admitted in a web post that it lost access to certain servers, though reportedly only after receiving a $5 million ransom payment from Colonial Pipeline. Also read | Colonial Pipeline hackers stole large amount of data, says report Former US Treasury secretary Larry Summers said on CNN that US officials had likely exerted heavy pressure on the Russian leadership to shut down the hackers. Colonial's temporary shutdown led to panic buying, with frantic motorists from Florida to Maryland lining up at gas stations. The resultant surge in demand sent the national average price above $3 a gallon for the first time since late 2014. Website GasBuddy said 81 percent of stations in Washington remained out of gas on Saturday, though the numbers in several eastern states were much better. Colonial Pipeline operates the largest fuel conduit system in the United States, sending gasoline and jet fuel from the Gulf Coast of Texas to the populous east coast through a pipeline network serving 50 million consumers.

US pipeline hit by hackers says fully back to 'normal'

The operator of a critical fuel pipeline on the East Coast paid extortionists roughly 75 Bitcoin — or nearly $5 million — to recover its stolen data, according to people briefed on the transaction, clearing the way for gas to begin flowing again but complicating President Joe Biden’s efforts to deter future attacks.

Colonial Pipeline made the ransom payment to the hacking group DarkSide after the cybercriminals last week held up the company’s business networks with ransomware, a form of malware that encrypts data until the victim pays. DarkSide is believed to operate from Eastern Europe, possibly Russia.

The company preemptively shut down its pipeline, which stretches from Texas to New Jersey and delivers nearly half of the transport fuels for the Atlantic coast, setting off a cascading crisis that led to panic buying at gas pumps.

The president on Thursday cautioned it would take time to resolve shortages. “They should be reaching full operational capacity as we speak,” Biden said. “But we want to be clear: We will not feel the effects at the pump immediately. This is not like flicking on a light switch.”

Biden did not rule out the possibility that the administration would target the cybercriminals with a retaliatory strike, saying that the United States would pursue “a measure to disrupt their ability to operate.”

On Thursday, eight websites associated with DarkSide were pulled offline. It was not immediately clear why.

The company’s decision to pay the ransom may help Biden stanch the political fallout from rising gas prices and long lines at the pumps, but it emboldens other criminal groups or rogue states to take American companies hostage by seizing control of their computers. Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said it remained the “position of the federal government” not to pay ransoms because the money can encourage criminals to conduct more attacks.

A company representative would neither confirm nor deny on Thursday that executives had paid a ransom. The payment was confirmed by people briefed on the matter, who declined to be identified because the information was confidential.

Gasoline prices continued to rise Thursday across the Southeast, but at a slower pace generally than in recent days. “Product delivery has commenced to all markets we serve,” Colonial Pipeline said. “It will take several days for the product delivery supply chain to return to normal.”

The operator of a critical fuel pipeline on the East Coast paid extortionists roughly 75 Bitcoin — or nearly $5 million — to recover its stolen data, according to people briefed on the transaction, clearing the way for gas to begin flowing again but complicating President Joe Biden’s efforts to deter future attacks.

The operator of a critical fuel pipeline on the East Coast paid extortionists roughly 75 Bitcoin — or nearly $5 million — to recover its stolen data, according to people briefed on the transaction, clearing the way for gas to begin flowing again but complicating President Joe Biden’s efforts to deter future attacks. Colonial Pipeline made the ransom payment to the hacking group DarkSide after the cybercriminals last week held up the company’s business networks with ransomware, a form of malware that encrypts data until the victim pays. DarkSide is believed to operate from Eastern Europe, possibly Russia. The company preemptively shut down its pipeline, which stretches from Texas to New Jersey and delivers nearly half of the transport fuels for the Atlantic coast, setting off a cascading crisis that led to panic buying at gas pumps. The president on Thursday cautioned it would take time to resolve shortages. “They should be reaching full operational capacity as we speak,” Biden said. “But we want to be clear: We will not feel the effects at the pump immediately. This is not like flicking on a light switch.” Biden did not rule out the possibility that the administration would target the cybercriminals with a retaliatory strike, saying that the United States would pursue “a measure to disrupt their ability to operate.” On Thursday, eight websites associated with DarkSide were pulled offline. It was not immediately clear why. The company’s decision to pay the ransom may help Biden stanch the political fallout from rising gas prices and long lines at the pumps, but it emboldens other criminal groups or rogue states to take American companies hostage by seizing control of their computers. Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said it remained the “position of the federal government” not to pay ransoms because the money can encourage criminals to conduct more attacks. A company representative would neither confirm nor deny on Thursday that executives had paid a ransom. The payment was confirmed by people briefed on the matter, who declined to be identified because the information was confidential. Gasoline prices continued to rise Thursday across the Southeast, but at a slower pace generally than in recent days. “Product delivery has commenced to all markets we serve,” Colonial Pipeline said. “It will take several days for the product delivery supply chain to return to normal.”

Colonial Pipeline reportedly paid roughly $5 million in ransom to hackers

Colonial Pipeline began to slowly restart the nation’s largest fuel pipeline network on Wednesday after a ransomware attack shut the line, triggering fuel shortages and panic buying in the southeastern United States.

It will take several days for the 5,500 mile (8,850 km) pipeline to return to normal operations, Colonial said, even as motorists in southeastern states jammed stations seeking fuel. A return to ample supplies could take two weeks, analysts said.

The cyberattack halted 2.5 million barrels per day of shipments of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel last Friday after the most disruptive cyberattack ever on U.S. energy infrastructure.

Also read |&nbsp;<a data-ctorig="https://www.wionews.com/world/colonial-pipeline-to-restore-gasoline-flow-this-week-384190" data-cturl="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/colonial-pipeline-to-restore-gasoline-flow-this-week-384190&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjjrJXH3cPwAhWPzDgGHfM_C1AQFjAAegQIABAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw1aWkjJTKutXl4VaEHB4ScM" dir="ltr" href="https://www.wionews.com/world/colonial-pipeline-to-restore-gasoline-flow-this-week-384190" target="_blank">Colonial pipeline&nbsp;to restore Gasoline flow this week</a>

Sources familiar with Colonial’s response said the company does not plan to pay the ransom demanded by hackers who encrypted data on the pipeline.

Colonial said it was working with cybersecurity experts to investigate the attack and had taken additional security measures before beginning the restart. The company said its control center is handling the restart of the pipeline, which stretches from refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast to consumers in Mid-Atlantic and Southeast states.

The supply crunch sparked panic buying in the US Southeast, bringing long lines and high prices at gas stations ahead of the peak summer driving season.

Also read |&nbsp;<a data-ctorig="https://www.wionews.com/world/colonial-pipeline-hackers-stole-large-amount-of-data-says-report-383887" data-cturl="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/colonial-pipeline-hackers-stole-large-amount-of-data-says-report-383887&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjjrJXH3cPwAhWPzDgGHfM_C1AQFjABegQIAxAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw0h-UOfPx75joBMZSmHHbQe" dir="ltr" href="https://www.wionews.com/world/colonial-pipeline-hackers-stole-large-amount-of-data-says-report-383887" target="_blank">Colonial Pipeline&nbsp;hackers stole large amount of data, says report</a>

Nearly 60% of gas stations in metro Atlanta were without gasoline, tracking firm GasBuddy said. Its survey showed 65% of stations in North Carolina and 43% in Georgia and South Carolina without fuel. Virginia also reported high outages.

“Our top priority right now is getting the fuel to the communities that need it,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told reporters.

Fuel stocks in the U.S. Northeast will likely hit five-year lows this week as the restart slowly progresses, said S&amp;P Global Platts analyst Richard Joswick. Full recovery "will take a couple of weeks at least," he added.

Rising tensions

At a Citgo station in East Atlanta, Charles Williams, 66, a local musician, filled his wife's Mini Cooper after seeing people with large jerry cans loading up.

"I wouldn't say I know they're hoarding, but I don't know if they're helping," he said.

Privately owned Colonial Pipeline opened portions of the line manually in Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey and the Carolinas. It also accepted 2 million barrels of fuel to begin efforts to "substantially" restore operations by week's end, the company has said.

The average national gasoline price rose to above $3.00 a gallon, the highest since October 2014, the American Automobile Association said.

Fuel industry representatives urged consumers to stop panic buying. They noted the country has plenty of gasoline supplies and said hoarding is creating shortages in areas not served by the pipeline.

"Retailers right now have sold several days worth of inventory within a few hours," said Rob Underwood, President of the Energy Marketers of America.

Four southeastern states - Florida, North Carolina, Virginia and Georgia - joined federal regulators in relaxing driver and fuel restrictions to speed deliveries of supplies. Georgia suspended sales tax on gasoline until Saturday.

The FBI has accused a shadowy criminal gang called DarkSide of the ransomware attack. The group, believed to be based in Russia or Eastern Europe, has not directly taken credit, but on Wednesday it claimed to have breached systems at three other companies, including an Illinois tech firm.

Russia’s embassy in the United States rejected speculation that Moscow was behind the attack. On Monday, Biden said there was no evidence so far that Russia was responsible.

Refiners, airlines react

It was not known how much money the hackers are seeking.

Gulf Coast refiners that move fuel to market on the Colonial Pipeline have cut processing. Total SE (TOTF.PA) trimmed gasoline production at its Port Arthur, Texas, refinery, and Citgo Petroleum pared back at its Lake Charles, Louisiana, plant.

Citgo said it was moving products from Lake Charles and "exploring alternate supply methods into other impacted markets." Marathon Petroleum said it was "making adjustments."

Several airlines have been transporting fuel by truck or fueling planes at destinations rather than at East Coast origins. American Airlines (AAL.O) said it would resume on Thursday non-stop service on two long-haul flights out its Charlotte, North Carolina hub.

Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) Chief Executive Ed Bastian said the airline has been told fuel supplies will be available “hopefully by the end of the week and as long as those predictions come true hopefully we’ll be OK.”

Colonial Pipeline began to slowly restart the nation’s largest fuel pipeline network on Wednesday after a ransomware attack shut the line, triggering fuel shortages and panic buying in the southeastern United States.

Colonial Pipeline began to slowly restart the nation’s largest fuel pipeline network on Wednesday after a ransomware attack shut the line, triggering fuel shortages and panic buying in the southeastern United States. It will take several days for the 5,500 mile (8,850 km) pipeline to return to normal operations, Colonial said, even as motorists in southeastern states jammed stations seeking fuel. A return to ample supplies could take two weeks, analysts said. The cyberattack halted 2.5 million barrels per day of shipments of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel last Friday after the most disruptive cyberattack ever on U.S. energy infrastructure. Also read | Colonial pipeline to restore Gasoline flow this week Sources familiar with Colonial’s response said the company does not plan to pay the ransom demanded by hackers who encrypted data on the pipeline. Colonial said it was working with cybersecurity experts to investigate the attack and had taken additional security measures before beginning the restart. The company said its control center is handling the restart of the pipeline, which stretches from refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast to consumers in Mid-Atlantic and Southeast states. The supply crunch sparked panic buying in the US Southeast, bringing long lines and high prices at gas stations ahead of the peak summer driving season. Also read | Colonial Pipeline hackers stole large amount of data, says report Nearly 60% of gas stations in metro Atlanta were without gasoline, tracking firm GasBuddy said. Its survey showed 65% of stations in North Carolina and 43% in Georgia and South Carolina without fuel. Virginia also reported high outages. “Our top priority right now is getting the fuel to the communities that need it,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told reporters. Fuel stocks in the U.S. Northeast will likely hit five-year lows this week as the restart slowly progresses, said S&P Global Platts analyst Richard Joswick. Full recovery "will take a couple of weeks at least," he added. Rising tensions At a Citgo station in East Atlanta, Charles Williams, 66, a local musician, filled his wife's Mini Cooper after seeing people with large jerry cans loading up. "I wouldn't say I know they're hoarding, but I don't know if they're helping," he said. Privately owned Colonial Pipeline opened portions of the line manually in Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey and the Carolinas. It also accepted 2 million barrels of fuel to begin efforts to "substantially" restore operations by week's end, the company has said. The average national gasoline price rose to above $3.00 a gallon, the highest since October 2014, the American Automobile Association said. Fuel industry representatives urged consumers to stop panic buying. They noted the country has plenty of gasoline supplies and said hoarding is creating shortages in areas not served by the pipeline. "Retailers right now have sold several days worth of inventory within a few hours," said Rob Underwood, President of the Energy Marketers of America. Four southeastern states - Florida, North Carolina, Virginia and Georgia - joined federal regulators in relaxing driver and fuel restrictions to speed deliveries of supplies. Georgia suspended sales tax on gasoline until Saturday. The FBI has accused a shadowy criminal gang called DarkSide of the ransomware attack. The group, believed to be based in Russia or Eastern Europe, has not directly taken credit, but on Wednesday it claimed to have breached systems at three other companies, including an Illinois tech firm. Russia’s embassy in the United States rejected speculation that Moscow was behind the attack. On Monday, Biden said there was no evidence so far that Russia was responsible. Refiners, airlines react It was not known how much money the hackers are seeking. Gulf Coast refiners that move fuel to market on the Colonial Pipeline have cut processing. Total SE (TOTF.PA) trimmed gasoline production at its Port Arthur, Texas, refinery, and Citgo Petroleum pared back at its Lake Charles, Louisiana, plant. Citgo said it was moving products from Lake Charles and "exploring alternate supply methods into other impacted markets." Marathon Petroleum said it was "making adjustments." Several airlines have been transporting fuel by truck or fueling planes at destinations rather than at East Coast origins. American Airlines (AAL.O) said it would resume on Thursday non-stop service on two long-haul flights out its Charlotte, North Carolina hub. Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) Chief Executive Ed Bastian said the airline has been told fuel supplies will be available “hopefully by the end of the week and as long as those predictions come true hopefully we’ll be OK.”

Colonial Pipeline slowly restarts as Southeast US scrambles for fuel

Fears the shutdown of a major fuel pipeline network would cause a gasoline shortage led to some panic buying and prompted US regulators on Tuesday to temporarily suspend clean fuel requirements in three eastern states and the nation's capital.

While it remained unclear the degree to which supplies would be affected, drivers lined up to fill their tanks at gas stations in the southeast, with some carrying extra containers amid fears of fuel scarcity.

A ransomware attack Friday on Colonial Pipeline forced the company to shut down its entire network, but government officials on Tuesday urged calm and said the situation is only temporary.

Also read |&nbsp;<a data-ctorig="https://www.wionews.com/world/colonial-pipeline-to-restore-gasoline-flow-this-week-384190" data-cturl="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/colonial-pipeline-to-restore-gasoline-flow-this-week-384190&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjjrJXH3cPwAhWPzDgGHfM_C1AQFjAAegQIABAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw1aWkjJTKutXl4VaEHB4ScM" dir="ltr" href="https://www.wionews.com/world/colonial-pipeline-to-restore-gasoline-flow-this-week-384190" target="_blank">Colonial pipeline&nbsp;to restore Gasoline flow this week</a>

The operator of the largest fuel conduit system in the United States, Colonial Pipeline sends gasoline and jet fuel from the Gulf Coast of Texas to the populous east coast through 5,500 miles (8,850 kilometers) of ducts that serve 50 million consumers.

The company said it expects to have the pipeline network fully up and running by the end of the week.

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said some areas "may feel a supply crunch, as Colonial fully resumes."

However, "there should be no cause for hoarding gasoline, especially in the light of the fact that the pipeline should be substantially operational by the end of this week and over the weekend," she told reporters at the White House.

Also read |&nbsp;<a data-ctorig="https://www.wionews.com/world/colonial-pipeline-hackers-stole-large-amount-of-data-says-report-383887" data-cturl="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/colonial-pipeline-hackers-stole-large-amount-of-data-says-report-383887&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjjrJXH3cPwAhWPzDgGHfM_C1AQFjABegQIAxAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw0h-UOfPx75joBMZSmHHbQe" dir="ltr" href="https://www.wionews.com/world/colonial-pipeline-hackers-stole-large-amount-of-data-says-report-383887" target="_blank">Colonial Pipeline&nbsp;hackers stole large amount of data, says report</a>

The shutdown raised fears the shortages would cause gasoline prices to spike just ahead of the US Memorial Day holiday, the unofficial kickoff to the summer travel season.

But Granholm called on station owners to act responsibly and said, "We will have no tolerance for price gouging."

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Tuesday announced a one-week suspension of clean air rules in an effort to ease supply issues.

The waiver is meant "to address the fuel supply emergency caused by a cyberattack on Colonial Pipeline's computer networks that led to the pipeline's shutdown," EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a letter to the governors of Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia and the mayor of Washington.

Regan said the EPA and Energy Department "have been actively monitoring the supply of fuel" and found that "the unusual pipeline shutdown has affected gasoline supplies."

No gas by nightfall?

The EPA move, effective through May 18, suspends rules that require urban areas to use fuel with additives like MTBE, which makes gasoline less polluting but also more expensive.

The waiver "is necessary to take action to minimize or prevent disruption of an adequate supply of gasoline to consumers," Regan said.

That followed the weekend announcement from the Transportation Department that it was easing up on time limits for drivers of tankers carrying diesel, gasoline and jet fuel to 18 of the most affected states, and is considering easing shipping rules as well.

"Everybody's seeing the news, you know, they get fearful, then everybody rushes out and gets gas. They're filling up gas cans and everything," one gas station manager in Raleigh, North Carolina told AFP.

"We'll be out of gas before the sun goes down if it stays this way."

American Airlines said in a statement that two daily long-haul routes out of Charlotte, North Carolina, were impacted by the fuel shortage, without giving further details.

Oil industry analyst Patrick De Haan said on Twitter the national average gasoline price reached $2.97 a gallon, "matching the highest since 2018."

While he said some gasoline stations along the east coast are running out of fuel, including a little over five percent in Georgia and 7.5 percent or more in North Carolina and Virginia, he cautioned against overreacting.

"Rack prices, or the prices stations pay for gasoline, rose only by a couple of cents today throughout the southeastern US. There is no pending spike coming to (gas prices) in the area, folks. No reason to freak out," De Haan said.

Oil prices already had been on the rise as the global economy bounces back from the Covid-19 pandemic, rebounding to just over $68 a barrel on Tuesday from less than $22 in April 2020.

John Catsimatidis, CEO of United Refining Company, which processes more than 70,000 barrels per day of oil and owns more than 400 gas stations in the New York area, said on Monday that the pipeline shutdown will send prices higher, estimating an impact of "at least four cents a gallon."

Colonial said late Tuesday it was making progress in "around-the-clock efforts to return our system to service."

Fears the shutdown of a major fuel pipeline network would cause a gasoline shortage led to some panic buying and prompted US regulators on Tuesday to temporarily suspend clean fuel requirements in three eastern states and the nation's capital.

Fears the shutdown of a major fuel pipeline network would cause a gasoline shortage led to some panic buying and prompted US regulators on Tuesday to temporarily suspend clean fuel requirements in three eastern states and the nation's capital. While it remained unclear the degree to which supplies would be affected, drivers lined up to fill their tanks at gas stations in the southeast, with some carrying extra containers amid fears of fuel scarcity. A ransomware attack Friday on Colonial Pipeline forced the company to shut down its entire network, but government officials on Tuesday urged calm and said the situation is only temporary. Also read | Colonial pipeline to restore Gasoline flow this week The operator of the largest fuel conduit system in the United States, Colonial Pipeline sends gasoline and jet fuel from the Gulf Coast of Texas to the populous east coast through 5,500 miles (8,850 kilometers) of ducts that serve 50 million consumers. The company said it expects to have the pipeline network fully up and running by the end of the week. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said some areas "may feel a supply crunch, as Colonial fully resumes." However, "there should be no cause for hoarding gasoline, especially in the light of the fact that the pipeline should be substantially operational by the end of this week and over the weekend," she told reporters at the White House. Also read | Colonial Pipeline hackers stole large amount of data, says report The shutdown raised fears the shortages would cause gasoline prices to spike just ahead of the US Memorial Day holiday, the unofficial kickoff to the summer travel season. But Granholm called on station owners to act responsibly and said, "We will have no tolerance for price gouging." The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Tuesday announced a one-week suspension of clean air rules in an effort to ease supply issues. The waiver is meant "to address the fuel supply emergency caused by a cyberattack on Colonial Pipeline's computer networks that led to the pipeline's shutdown," EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a letter to the governors of Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia and the mayor of Washington. Regan said the EPA and Energy Department "have been actively monitoring the supply of fuel" and found that "the unusual pipeline shutdown has affected gasoline supplies." No gas by nightfall? The EPA move, effective through May 18, suspends rules that require urban areas to use fuel with additives like MTBE, which makes gasoline less polluting but also more expensive. The waiver "is necessary to take action to minimize or prevent disruption of an adequate supply of gasoline to consumers," Regan said. That followed the weekend announcement from the Transportation Department that it was easing up on time limits for drivers of tankers carrying diesel, gasoline and jet fuel to 18 of the most affected states, and is considering easing shipping rules as well. "Everybody's seeing the news, you know, they get fearful, then everybody rushes out and gets gas. They're filling up gas cans and everything," one gas station manager in Raleigh, North Carolina told AFP. "We'll be out of gas before the sun goes down if it stays this way." American Airlines said in a statement that two daily long-haul routes out of Charlotte, North Carolina, were impacted by the fuel shortage, without giving further details. Oil industry analyst Patrick De Haan said on Twitter the national average gasoline price reached $2.97 a gallon, "matching the highest since 2018." While he said some gasoline stations along the east coast are running out of fuel, including a little over five percent in Georgia and 7.5 percent or more in North Carolina and Virginia, he cautioned against overreacting. "Rack prices, or the prices stations pay for gasoline, rose only by a couple of cents today throughout the southeastern US. There is no pending spike coming to (gas prices) in the area, folks. No reason to freak out," De Haan said. Oil prices already had been on the rise as the global economy bounces back from the Covid-19 pandemic, rebounding to just over $68 a barrel on Tuesday from less than $22 in April 2020. John Catsimatidis, CEO of United Refining Company, which processes more than 70,000 barrels per day of oil and owns more than 400 gas stations in the New York area, said on Monday that the pipeline shutdown will send prices higher, estimating an impact of "at least four cents a gallon." Colonial said late Tuesday it was making progress in "around-the-clock efforts to return our system to service."

Pipeline shutdown sparks fear of US gasoline shortage