Gas tanker driver Addison G. Blesecker switches supply nozzles on his truck Friday afternoon while a line of cars wait at the Wilco gas station on Blowing Rock Road for the fuel delivery to complete. Photo by Adam Dixon

by ANNE BAKER
News Editor

Gasoline once again became hard to find last week after another fuel shortage hit several areas across Western North Carolina.

The supply of gas has been limited since Hurricane Ike hit the Gulf Coast Sept. 13, shutting down several oil refineries and wells in the Gulf of Mexico—meaning very little gas is able to get through pipelines serving the East Coast.

Gov. Mike Easley issued a statement regarding the situation Friday, and said he had received reports from oil companies and officials from the Colonial Pipeline Company.

Colonial Pipeline is based in Alpharetta, Ga. and delivers an average of 100 million gallons of gas and refined petroleum products to areas in the south and eastern United States, according to its Web site, colonialpipeline.com.

Easley said in his statement, “The fuel situation is improving. Fuel terminals on the Colonial Pipeline are being refilled and gas stations are being resupplied…nevertheless, I urge everyone to use common sense measures,” he said. “If everybody tries to keep their tank full all the time, demand will surge and we will create an artificial problem. It is always wise to use reasonable conservation measures.”

The Kangaroo gas station on U.S. Highway 321 bags its pumps as a sign to drivers of the gas shortage. Photo by Adam Dixon

The Wilco Hess gas station located on Blowing Rock Road had run out of unleaded fuel, and had a limited supply of mid-grade and premium gasoline Thursday before a gas tanker arrived to refill the station. 

Wilco Hess employee D. Heath Watson said the tanker was carrying a limited supply of gas he predicted would last only “a couple of hours.”

Drivers who had seen the tanker arrive at the station were lined up at the pumps waiting for fuel.

Gas tanker driver Addison G. Blesecker said he was delivering the fuel to Wilco Hess from Greensboro, and was carrying approximately 4,500 gallons.

This was a small number compared to the station’s available fuel capacity, as it is the Town of Boone’s largest gas station and could hold 40,000 gallons of gas, he said.

Several signs posted at Wilco Hess asked consumers to limit their purchases to $50 in order to conserve the limited supply.

Gas in the Asheville area was also extremely scarce.

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