‘Fuel is coming,’ expert says as people panic buy gas

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - Alabama is not facing a shortage of gasoline, according to Bart Fletcher, president of the Petroleum and Convenience Marketers of Alabama.

People in the southeast began to panic buy gasoline after the Colonial Pipeline shutdown for several days. As of Wednesday evening, the pipeline said it is restarting pipeline operations.

Fletcher said the panic and rush to pump is creating an artificial shortage.

“We’ve seen the public create a shortage of a product that there was really absolutely no reason for a shortage of that particular product to occur,” Fletcher said.

Fletcher said gas stations were not expecting a rush to the gas pump. Stations already had preplanned when trucks would bring more gasoline.

“The fuel is coming. No need to panic. It’ll be there and probably in relatively short order, maybe just not quite as quickly as in normal circumstances,” Fletcher said.

So officials are pleading with people not to stock up on gas unless it’s time to fill up your tank like you normally would.

“When you need gas, get gas. Don’t be taking extra containers and filling it up like I see folks doing. That is irresponsible, it’s selfish, and we just got to use common sense and be careful,” Gov. Kay Ivey said.

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