Four governors declared states of emergency in response to gas shortages brought on by the Colonial Pipeline hack.
Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency on Monday due to his state’s gas shortage. Republicans Govs. Brian Kemp of Georgia and Ron DeSantis of Florida, and Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam declared states of emergency on Tuesday.
Republican South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announced that he would not declare a new state of emergency because the state was already in one due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today I signed an executive order suspending the gas tax in Georgia to help with higher prices as a result of the Colonial cyber attack. We are working closely with Colonial and expect for them to recover by the end of the week. pic.twitter.com/evGLqwHs2X
— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) May 11, 2021
Kemp suspended Georgia’s gas taxes, while Cooper eliminated transportation regulations. McMaster instituted anti-price gouging laws. Virginia Republicans called on Northam to suspend the state’s gas tax.
Most East Coast states receive their gas supply from the Colonial Pipeline, which was disabled by hackers called “DarkSide” on May 8.
More than 7% of Virginia gas stations are out of gas, according to industry monitor GasBuddy. More than 8% of North Carolina gas stations are out of fuel, as are more than 6% of Georgia stations. (RELATED: Experts Say There May Be An Impending Fuel Shortage On The East Coast)
GASOLINE OUTAGES as of 3pm CT… percent of all stations in state without gasoline:
GA 5.8%
AL 0.6%
TN 0.2%
SC 3.5%
NC 8.5%
FL 2.8%
VA 7.7%— Patrick De Haan ⛽️???? (@GasBuddyGuy) May 11, 2021
President Joe Biden is being regularly briefed on the situation, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Monday.