[ad_1]
On Wednesday, the fuel shortage situation in the southeastern United States further deteriorated because the largest fuel pipeline network in the United States was closed to the sixth day, and the supply of gas stations in some cities was already in short supply.
Last week, a ransomware attack on colonial pipelines caused the US energy infrastructure to suffer the most destructive cyber attack, stopping 2.5 million barrels of fuel every day. The pipeline extends from refineries on the Gulf Coast of the United States to consumers in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern states, covering a total of 8,850 kilometers.
The White House said that in Washington, DC, senior Biden administration officials met on Tuesday night to discuss the incident and are considering ways to alleviate the shortage of gasoline. Congressional committee members asked the White House Interagency Working Group to provide a formal briefing to discuss the federal response to cyber attacks.
The privately owned Colonial Pipeline manually opened part of the pipeline to release needed supplies in Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, and Carolina. The company said it has accepted 2 million barrels of fuel to begin the restart, which will “substantially” restore operations to before the end of the week.
Due to motorists’ panic, supply shortages led to long queues and high gas prices at gas stations on the weekend before the Memorial Day holiday at the end of this month, which traditionally marked the beginning of the peak summer driving season.
The American Automobile Association said the average national gasoline price rose to more than $3 per gallon on Wednesday, the highest level since 2014.
Tracking company GasBuddy said that on Wednesday, nearly 60% of gas stations in the Atlanta metro area had no gasoline, while more than 70% of gas stations in Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina. Power outages in Virginia and South Carolina are also relatively high.
“This place is closed”
Charles Staples, a 31-year-old banker, hovered in rows of closed fuel pumps on Volvo at Atlanta Station and said: “This place is closed.” “I’ve heard about it. This matter, but I just thought they would have a long line or something.”
General contractor Todd Sloan said that in Raleigh, the last few gas stations were gas stations on the main road. He said: “Those who are cheering have a long line.”
The four southeastern states (Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia) joined federal regulators to ease driver and fuel restrictions to speed up the delivery of supplies. Georgia suspends gasoline sales tax until Saturday.
The FBI accused a dark criminal gang named DarkSide of ransomware attacks. It is believed that DarkSide is located in Russia or Eastern Europe.
The Russian Embassy in the United States rejected the speculation behind the Moscow attack. On Monday, President Joe Biden said that so far there is no evidence that Russia is responsible.
More frequent attacks
What is unknown is how much money the hackers are seeking, and the colonialists have not commented on whether it will pay.
Brandon Wales, Acting Director of the Cyber ??Security and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), said at a Senate hearing on Tuesday: “Cyber ??attacks on our country’s infrastructure are becoming more and more complex and frequent. And radical.” And hit companies and government agencies.
Refineries on the Gulf Coast, which relied on colonial pipelines to bring fuel to the market, have cut processing procedures. In total, SE reduced gasoline production at the refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, and Citgo Petroleum reduced gasoline production at its Lake Charles, Louisiana plant.
Citgo said it is moving products from its Lake Charles refinery and “exploring other supply methods into other affected markets.” Marathon Petroleum, another major refinery, said it was “adjusting” its operations due to pipeline shutdowns.
[ad_2]
Source link
