Kennesaw residents continue to struggle to find gas stations with fuel as a result of a pipeline leak in Alabama.
In response to the gas shortage, Gov. Nathan Deal issued an executive order Monday, Sept. 19 reminding all business owners that price gouging is illegal.
“There have been recent reports that wholesale and retail gas prices have substantially increased in some markets,” Deal said in the executive order. “In light of these circumstances, and to protect public health, safety and welfare, it is necessary to prevent price gouging.”
A week prior, Deal issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency. The order suspends the regulations regarding the times and hours truck drivers may operate a vehicle. Basically, Deal issued the order to allow truckers to drive for longer stretches of time and get fuel to stations faster.
Most of the gas stations in Kennesaw and Acworth are quickly running out of fuel. Although gasoline trucks are still delivering, the demand has risen so much in the past week that stores almost immediately run out again.
“We had 24,000 gallons delivered just this morning, and we will be completely out again before the end of the day,” said Ryan Atkinson, a clerk at the QuikTrip on Cobb Parkway in Acworth.
Trucks are unable to deliver on their regular schedules, so deliveries are more unpredictable than usual.
“Our monitor that tells the company we need gas is blinking, but right now, they just send a truck when they can,” said William Grey, a shift manager at the RaceTrac on Wade Green Road.
As many as seven stations in Kennesaw had completely run out of gas as of Sunday morning, but they could all receive another shipment soon. Those still with gas hiked up prices, charging customers almost $3 per gallon.
“In times like these, companies bring out their true colors,” said Cobb Parkway QuikTrip store manager Karina Junco. “Some will jack up the price, and since people are in a panic, they will buy it.”
While most gas stations in Kennesaw and Acworth charged $2.59 per gallon, some stores kept their prices low. Kroger on Cobb Parkway in Acworth still sold its fuel for $2.36 as of Sunday, and it still offered all grades of gas.
Because of the rising panic, however, fights broke out at the pumps on Sunday.
“I had to go outside and direct traffic while the store managers pulled apart people fighting over gas,” said Thomas Cotter, a clerk at the Kroger Fuel on Cobb Parkway. “It has been a hectic day.”
According to AL News, Colonial Pipeline in Helena, Alabama had to shut down their main underground pipeline due to a leak. The pipeline usually delivers 1.3 million barrels of gas every day to distribution centers across the southeast. The company estimated that it has already lost around 336,000 gallons of fuel.
The pipeline remains closed, and the cause and current condition of the leak is reportedly still unknown. The leak has caused gas shortages across most of the southeast, including Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.
