North American Fuel Shortage Reports

[shortonoil]

[quot"DantesPeak"]This gas pump at the 7-11 at 84th Street and Highway 21 states the obvious as Petro-Canada continues to have distribution and supply problems as a result of the shutdown. [/quote]
If they have run out of retail supply 7 days after problems at the refinery, their inventory was pretty low to begin with. They have probably been shipping it to the US market, since it doesn’t look like anyone else is!

This could be a case of the life guard drowning while trying to safe the distressed swimmer!

[TheDude]

PS. My husband thinks I'm a nut because I insist that we keep the gas tank above half-full.

This is one of those factors that few people have considered. What happens to demand for gasoline when the majority of people start keeping their tanks half full or better?

Same thing happened in '73/'79. Consumer caused inventory drawdown. Storm fears left local gas stations high and dry

Storm fears left local gas stations high and dry
By TIFFANY ST. MARTIN - tsmartin@bradenton.com

As Tropical Storm Fay approached Southwest Florida on Monday evening, Manatee motorists made a run on gasoline, draining a handful of stations around town of their supply.

The 7-Eleven on the corner of State Road 70 and Caruso Road ran out of fuel shortly after 5 p.m. on Monday, store manager Sandy Thompson said. "Once everyone got off work, they started hitting us hard."

The station sold more than 2,000 gallons of gas in no time at all, she said, but received a new supply of fuel Tuesday morning.

The man delivering the gasoline told Thompson the shortage was widespread enough that he had to wait in line to fill his truck - something that rarely happens.

Mobil on the Run at 53rd Avenue West and 34th Street West got a shipment of gas Monday night not long after it ran out of reserves.

"It happens every time," store employee Cheryl Davis said.

Thompson said there's a run on fuel with every approaching storm, "every time there's even a threat."

This is also common in FL during hurricanes. Check out my Google News "fuel shortage" timelinethread, too.

[DantesPeak]

Up to 90 west coast Petro-Canada stations out of gas
Updated Thu. Aug. 21 2008 7:30 PM ET

The Canadian Press

CALGARY -- Between 80 and 90 gas stations in British Columbia and Alberta have run out of fuel as Petro-Canada (TSX:PCA) continues to grapple with an equipment breakdown at its Edmonton refinery.

About a dozen stations were out of gasoline last week.

"We did know that number would rise and we very consciously made this announcement while it was on the rise to tell people in advance," company spokeswoman Kelli Stevens said Thursday in an interview from the company's Calgary office.

The refinery's catalytic cracking unit was shut down unexpectedly earlier this month, and without it Petro-Canada can't refine petroleum products into gasoline.

CTA.ca

[SchroedingersCat]

Some fuel terminals have short-term outages

BISMARCK, N.D. - Industry officials say they are mystified by fuel shortages at terminals in the Upper Midwest in recent days, but they expect enough supplies for the Labor Day holiday weekend.

Terminals have run out of fuel in West Fargo and Grand Forks in North Dakota; Alexandria, Minn.; and Sioux Falls, S.D.

Officials are trying to figure out why.

[TheDude]

Huh. Magellan has a very nice assest map on their site. By their own admission they're wholly mystified by what's causing the shortages.

Shortages in Cape Breton: MPs want to know what fuels oil prices

[frankthetank]

My brother is in Sioux Falls right now. I'll have to ask him when i talk to him next time to see whats up.

Its a big mystery... yeah...

[DantesPeak]

I posted this last week in another thread:

Magellan Midstream Experiencing Gasoline Outages at its Northern Tier Terminals August 19

A company representative reported August 19 that Magellan was experiencing some outages of gasoline at terminals in the northern tier of its system and its ability to maintain consistent supply at all terminals was contingent on shipments from Mid-Continent and Gulf Coast origins. Some refiners in those regions that supply the products pipeline have experienced unexpected outages in the recent weeks, especially within gasoline producing units. The company representative also added that the pipeline and terminals were operating normally from a mechanical standpoint.

link

So, obviously, they knew about this problem and its cause. To put it simply, the cause is low gasoline and diesel supplies. Contrary to what might be commonly thought, lately US gasoline and diesel demand added together is just about the same as last year's combined total. Remember we had shortages last year in those parts too.

[DantesPeak]

Storm report: Gas stations sell out

Many Lafayette service stations sold out of gasoline Friday as motorists scrambled to fill up their vehicles ahead of Hurricane Gustav.

Outages were observed at a nearby Chevron and more than a dozen other stations.

Don Redman, spokesman for the motorist group AAA, said the outages are the result of uncertainty surrounding Gustav. Because of the wide area that could be affected by the storm, motorists from Texas to Florida were topping off their tanks, he said.

"It's not a case of a shortage of gasoline," Redman said. "It's a case of a large number of people making a big, unexpected rush to service stations."

The Daily Advertiser

[HEADER_RACK]

Storm report: Gas stations sell out

Many Lafayette service stations sold out of gasoline Friday as motorists scrambled to fill up their vehicles ahead of Hurricane Gustav.

Outages were observed at a nearby Chevron and more than a dozen other stations.

Don Redman, spokesman for the motorist group AAA, said the outages are the result of uncertainty surrounding Gustav. Because of the wide area that could be affected by the storm, motorists from Texas to Florida were topping off their tanks, he said.

"It's not a case of a shortage of gasoline," Redman said. "It's a case of a large number of people making a big, unexpected rush to service stations."

The Daily Advertiser

I can witness this. Almost every gas station around here have bags on the pump handles. Those that do have gas it is usually premium left. I was topping of my tank yesterday along with an extra 30 gallons for my generator. The guy next to me had a 55gallon drum in the back of his truck pumping into it. Alot of people have generators around here. Along with normal car top offs, they are buying for their generators.

[RedStateGreen]

I was in Coyle, OK today, and a lady said she went to the only gas station in town and they were out. Apparently that happens there often (Coyle is a dying hole-in-the-wall very small town), but I thought it was notable.

[DantesPeak]

[quot"DantesPeak"]This gas pump at the 7-11 at 84th Street and Highway 21 states the obvious as Petro-Canada continues to have distribution and supply problems as a result of the shutdown.

If they have run out of retail supply 7 days after problems at the refinery, their inventory was pretty low to begin with. They have probably been shipping it to the US market, since it doesn’t look like anyone else is!

This could be a case of the life guard drowning while trying to safe the distressed swimmer![/quote]

The EPA has waived requirements for gasoline content in Louisiana. Canada and many states have different content rules. Most Northeast US states have the same standard, but it is different than Canada's.

This move would allow gasoline from Canada or California, or some other state, to be sent to Louisiana.

EPA Waives Clean-Air Gas Limits In La Parishes Before Gustav

August 29, 2008: 07:25 PM EST

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

To ensure an adequate supply of gasoline if Hurricane Gustav strikes Louisiana, the Environmental Protection Agency has waived some clean-fuel requirements for 16 parishes until Sept. 8.

The waiver allows the sale of gasoline with greater volatility that the parishes allow in the summer. The EPA granted the waiver at the state's request in coordination with the Department of Energy.

Looking at the projected path and severity of the storm as well as the evacuation of major areas of the state, EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson found that extreme and unusual supply circumstances exist that are likely to result in a shortage of gasoline that meets federal regulations. The waiver will help ensure an adequate supply of gasoline in the area during and in the immediate aftermath of the storm.

Dow Jones/CNN

[HEADER_RACK]

Gov. jindal Just made a statement and said 85% of gas stations are out of fuel in South Louisiana and formaly called on the federeal government to open the SPR.

[HEADER_RACK]

What has me thinking is the large draw downs on gasoline the south has used to evacuate from Gustav. They will probably do the same for Hanna to evacuate some of the east coast. Now there is TD9 which is expected to strenghen in the next three days. If that also makes landfall there will be another draw down to get people out. Could three large draw downs of fuel in as many weeks be the straws that break the camel's back? Could we ever recover?

[bkwillia]

Drivers are smart shoppers. Most ppl these days dont fill'er up any more. They put in $20-40 and hope for lower prices next week. The total light vehicle fleet fuel tank capacity is around 100 million barrels. We have only seen around 0.3 million barrels per day of demand destruction for gasoline since the spring.

As you can see, this is very small compared to capacity of the fleet to delay filling up. If drivers started the spring with a full tank, they could collectively purchase 0.3 million barrels less per day for a full year before they were all running on empty.

When prices started to bounce back up in the last week and Gustav was aiming for the gulf coast, that was a strong signal to fill'er up. This coordinated smart shopping may have been enough to cause both the apparent "demand destruction" and the current shortages.

[lawnchair]

Shortages in the Dakotas expected for the next six to eight weeks.

Minot Daily News

[GoghGoner]

Just found this thread so I might copy a post over here regarding gas stations running dry. This story is for the Carolinas. At this point, they have been the only two states to mention multiple stations with no gasoline.

http://www.goupstate.com/article/20080911/NEWS/809110357/1083/NEWS04&title=Fuel_prices_could_churn_higher_as_Ike_storms_toward_Gulf_refineries

Junie White, owner of White's Pine Street Exxon, said he raised his price 10 cents per gallon Tuesday morning and knocked it up another four cents Wednesday, hoping the higher prices will slow down sales and keep him from running out.

"We aren't going to be able to get another load of gas until Saturday," White said Wednesday evening. "We tried to order a load this morning, and because of what's going on in the Gulf, we were told it would be Saturday before we could get it."

[GoghGoner]

Holy cow. I need to a find a link for spot prices, I have it bookmarkded at home...aha, here it is http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/quote?ticker=MOIGC87P%3AIND. I guess that isn't updated throughout the day.

Energy companies shut down more than 11 percent of U.S. fuel production capacity along the Gulf Coast on Thursday as a precaution ahead of Hurricane Ike, a powerful storm forecast to hit the coast west of Houston by the weekend.
The refinery shutdowns sparked widespread concern about possible fuel shortages in the storm's wake, driving a rally in Gulf Coast wholesale gasoline prices toward $5 a gallon that could trickle down to the pumps, traders said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/feedarticle/7790475

[vision-master]

Gas just went down to $3.38 gal.

Filled up the car an a empty 6 gal gas can.

[GoghGoner]

well, first local georgian I have come across of shortages

Stocks says he went up on the price to help conserve what little bit of fuel he has. "They tell me there's none coming in to Albany and if I'd kept selling at the rate I normally sell, I would have run out by Saturday or Sunday."

Stocks says he received one third of a load Wednesday night. He says raising the price did have the desired effect. Business is down.

http://www.walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=8993687

[GoghGoner]

The DOE is warning us, now

The Department of Energy said on Thursday Hurricane Ike could affect fuel supply as refineries in the Gulf of Mexico are shut in the wake of the storm.

"We expect this will likely have fuel impacts. There is likely to be constraint in supply," Kevin Kolevar, assistant secretary for electricity delivery and energy reliability, told reporters.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKWBT00967920080911