Thinking about getting gas. Then Ranting.

Picking up the airplane from annual today at the airport a few miles away from home field where they have cheaper 100LL. Called ahead and asked for a top-off since I'm taking a trip this weekend. Guy asked me, "Do you really need the fuel?" For a second I started to get irritated, but then thought - it's a valid question. He's asking me if I really need it or am just topping off out of fear. I explained to him that I am actually flying somewhere this weekend and I like getting gas here because it is cheaper. He said cool, but they have had everyone in the hangars there calling for top offs even though they aren't going anywhere.
 
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The bumper stickers. LOL
 
This is the third time we've dealt with this issue. The first time was when Katrina shut down the entire gulf coast. That was entirely understandable. The second time was due to a pipeline leak, IIRC it was in Alabama, and was found by a hiker. Colonial didn't know about it until then. This time they got hacked. Myself, I don't think Colonial is all that ept of a company, but they don't have to be, they have no competition. For those of you who think the mean old greenies are preventing additional pipelines from being built, think about the economics of a competing pipeline company starting from scratch to compete with Colonial, they would be crushingly difficult. I've lived in the area since 1979 and have yet to hear of any organization so much as proposing to compete.

Realistically, who loses when this sort of thing happens? Colonial doesn't, they will eventually wind up moving the same amount of petroleum, I doubt it has much impact on their bottom line, but they're a private company so we will never know. The oil companies certainly don't lose, they'll sell less product for a while but at a higher margin. The retailers don't gain much out of this deal, their margins on gasoline probably improve a little for a while, but when traffic declines they sell less in the store, which is where they make most of their money, so they're not happy. Guess who that leaves?
 
Bill said:
Unfortunately my wife's car is now below 1/4 tank, so I'll have to go wait in line with all of the dumbasses.
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Amazingly, I roll into Costco last night at 7pm, and not only do they have gas, but there were no lines! I literally rolled right up to the pump and filled up. I took that as a good sign so I went in and bought some pork butts to smoke this weekend! Win win!
 
wsuffa said:
"Damn hoarders" is probably more accurate. Reports are that gas stations have sold 3x the normal amount over the last 2–3 days. Citgo is out of premium in Fairfax, VA, and out of regular in Richmond. I saw a photo of a couple with 20, 5-gallon cans in their minivan... That's like 4 extra tankfuls.
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I saw an article yesterday that they were seeing 2 to 4 times typical volume in sales for this time of year. The petroleum person said they couldn't support that volume even without the pipeline issue. They have a shortage of truckers to haul the fuel from the fuel farms (feed by the pipeline) to the gas stations.
 
wayne said:
I saw an article yesterday that they were seeing 2 to 4 times typical volume in sales for this time of year. The petroleum person said they couldn't support that volume even without the pipeline issue. They have a shortage of truckers to haul the fuel from the fuel farms (feed by the pipeline) to the gas stations.
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Tis temporary. Most, most people can only buy what they can put in their car tank and the gas can for the lawnmower.
 
FormerHangie said:
think about the economics of a competing pipeline company starting from scratch to compete with Colonial, they would be crushingly difficult. I've lived in the area since 1979 and have yet to hear of any organization so much as proposing to compete.
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Meh. Marathon could extend operation to the east. Operations (marathonpipeline.com) That is, they could if environmental regs didn't make it impossible.
 
Already reports of gas stations up here in good ol' N. VA getting resupplied.

Still concerned about shortages of pork butts and now, apparently, taters. All it takes is one person to post a pic of the meat counter with no pork butts.... panic!
 
Bill said:
Amazingly, I roll into Costco last night at 7pm, and not only do they have gas, but there were no lines! I literally rolled right up to the pump and filled up. I took that as a good sign so I went in and bought some pork butts to smoke this weekend! Win win!
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I can always bypass the lines and just roll up to the pump at Costco...I’m willing to walk to the other side of my car with the hose. ;)
 
Having to commute to Wake Forest for work this week. Most of the stations around wake forest are out of gas. I stopped at a Sheetz this morning to fill up. No lines since they were out of gas. As I stand there filling up my diesel equinox people started flocking in full of questions and confusion thinking I was getting gas at best, or ruining my car at worse lol. Oil burners rule!
 
I guess I'm a hoarder, I filled all the cars and my airplane hauling tanks. Under 60 gallons total. The airplane was pretty much full already and if I was that low in the cars I'd just defuel the airplane and use it in the car (its not 100LL).
 
bnt83 said:
I guess I'm a hoarder, I filled all the cars and my airplane hauling tanks. Under 60 gallons total. The airplane was pretty much full already and if I was that low in the cars I'd just defuel the airplane and use it in the car (its not 100LL).
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Yup
 
wayne said:
Most. Sadly there are some doing this:

View attachment 96315 View attachment 96316 View attachment 96317 View attachment 96318 View attachment 96319

:mad: :mad: :mad:
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Gotta be southerners...

MauleSkinner said:
I can always bypass the lines and just roll up to the pump at Costco...I’m willing to walk to the other side of my car with the hose. ;)
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People here have caught on to that one, everyone just picks the shortest line no matter which side the gas fill is on.
 
I wondered the same thing...
 
Obviously it's getting better now. In Charlotte and Raleigh, I'd estimate 80% are still out of gas. But along I-85 in Greensboro/Salisbury, probably 80% have gas.
 
denverpilot said:
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The bumper stickers. LOL
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That’s a cute picture to “own the libs”, but that bumper sticker refers to the cancelled Atlantic Coast Pipeline that was proposed to transport natural gas from fracking and has nothing to do with gasoline.
 
You know this because...are you the one pictured pumping gas?
Initial thoughts stand.
 
bflynn said:
Obviously it's getting better now. In Charlotte and Raleigh, I'd estimate 80% are still out of gas. But along I-85 in Greensboro/Salisbury, probably 80% have gas.
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Keep the reports coming. I’m still planning on towing my motorcycles out to the mountains along I40 next week.
 
Bill said:
Provided the gas doesn't eat thru them
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I don't know if it is the same plastic, but I once drained about 10 oz of old gas out of a generator into a red solo cup because it was the only thing I had close by. Not sure how much time went by, but less than a day - Gas had eaten through the cup and.. well... returned to mother nature.

Waste of a good red solo cup, if you ask me.
 
Cervieres said:
That’s a cute picture to “own the libs”, but that bumper sticker refers to the cancelled Atlantic Coast Pipeline that was proposed to transport natural gas from fracking and has nothing to do with gasoline.
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But that’s not what it says.
 
FastEddieB said:
Not exactly hoarding, but…

We have to drive to Atlanta tomorrow, then the following day to the airport there to drop off Karen, then back to the Knoxville area. The folks we’re staying with called and warned “Atlanta is out of gas”. Our Clarity goes the first 40 to 50 miles on battery, then gets about 42 mpg, but only has a 7 gal tank. Out of an abundance of caution did fill up 2 5gal cans yesterday which we’ll carry along on a hitch carrier. Also topped off our truck. Anecdotally, the nearest gas station to us in Lenoir City was out of gas, but another nearby station still had it.
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I went for groceries at lunchtime, drove by two stations, one had gasoline, one did not. Ironically, it's now Diesel that's hard to come by
 
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I can't even figure out what that is.
 
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