It's been over three weeks since Hurricane Ike hit Houston. North Carolina is still reeling.
Did anyone think the gasoline shortage here, widely traced to storm-related shutdowns of Houston-area oil refineries, would last this long? If so, more power to them. State officials certainly didn't seem to think so, since they've offered little but reassurances for days. It's about over, they say; the pipeline is full again.
Except that plastic grocery bags still cover two thirds of the pumps at many gas stations, particularly west of Raleigh. Although fewer stations are out of gas than was the case a week or two ago, most have only regular to sell. And prices, while not extreme, are above the national average.
Not to discount the seriousness of the storm-related disruptions, but could this be a quiet protest by suppliers against North Carolina's anti-price gouging law? Put another way, is that law part of the problem?
One thing drivers have learned is that today's engines, even if designed to run on premium, do pretty well on lower-priced regular. One thing state officials should learn is that they've been too optimistic about when things will return to normal. Ike has sent us a message we need to consider.
Comments
Stop complaining......
Wed, 10/08/2008 - 15:57 — Debrah......while driving around in tanks.
Take a bike!
Or a hike!
You guys are so soft.
Where have you been since Katrina
Wed, 10/08/2008 - 10:40 — Jon (not verified)The tax rate on fuel - state tax - has been set since Katrina. This is causing shortfalls for transportation projects such as bridges and transit and roads.
Gas at the coast was reported to be $3.40 per gallon because they could off-load at the coast.
It is possible that the vendors are keeping their prices up to compensate for the money they lost when they couldn't raise the rates fast enough to keep up with the momentary run-up of inventory expenses ... yes conspiracy buffs, the retailers may be hurting through this fiasco ... no gas to sell ... no one coming to buy chips, soda, and lottery tickets ... no money for rent.
Oh, and drilling off the coast of the United States, when FL, TX, and NC are the top hurricane states ... great idea ....
Why is our gas still almost $4/gallon?
Tue, 10/07/2008 - 09:28 — Tired of Paying at the Pump (not verified)You know it bugs me that I keep reading over and over and over and over (yes it has been that much) that gas keeps falling. Prices everywhere else in this country are around $3/gallon where we're still paying close to $4/gallon. NC is currently #4 of the states paying the most for gas (next to Alaska, Hawaii, and Georgia). Seriously WHAT GIVES???? Lower the freakin gas prices already. All this hub-bub about Ike and Gustav is a joke. If the state really wanted to end this, they would ask the government to send out more fuel trucks to our area so we can return to normal. but no, the state secretly enjoys the higher prices. why you ask? because we're taxed on the gas based off a percentage...so the more we pay, the more our state government sees in terms of money.