Story updated Thursday, May 13 at 7:50 a.m.
Alexandria Living Magazine
A Shell station in Alexandria ran out of gas Wednesday, May 12.
In scenes that could be reminiscent of the 1970s or an impending hurricane, drivers sat in lengthening lines at local gas stations Thursday morning at the stations lucky enough to have fuel.
A Shell station on Duke Street in Alexandria had run out of all grades of gasoline Wednesday. The Mobil station next door "got lucky," an employee said, and received a shipment of fuel early Wednesday after running out late Tuesday. The line at Mobil spilled out onto Duke Street just west of Telegraph Road for much of Wednesday, but the station had to close again Wednesday night after running out of fuel, again.
A cyberattack and digital ransom demand on Colonial Pipeline operations shut down the biggest fuel pipeline system in the Southeastern United States, and the pipeline may not be fully operational for several more days, according to news reports. The pipeline handles gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.
Alexandria Living Magazine
A line at a local BP gas station on May 12, 2020.
While Colonial Pipeline representatives say they are working on getting the system back up and running, there are fuel supply issues in several states, including Virginia. Panic-buying by consumers following the news has led to a shortage of gas, similar to the run on toilet paper early in the pandemic.
Some densely-populated areas like Northern Virginia are "reformulated gasoline (RFG) areas," which means that fuel sold in the area needs to be blended to burn cleaner than "conventional" gasoline. This can help reduce smog and pollution.
The D.C. metro area is an RFG under the Clean Air Act. The Environmental Protection Agency this week released those environmental protections in this region and several other areas to make it easier for gas stations to get fuel. In addition, Virginia has declared a state of emergency to provide funds and other assistance to facilitate fuel supplies.
Until then, a number of gas stations in the Alexandria area may have no fuel or limited options. The map below, from GasBuddy around 8 a.m. Thursday, May 13, shows the status of local gas stations. The majority of stations listed (those in yellow, red and black below) have limited fuel, no fuel, or no power to operate the pumps. Most other gas stations only have limited selection of fuel.
How to Conserve Gas
Until fuel is easier to get (and as a good practice at all times), here are tips on using less gas:
Consolidate errands. When you can, try to take care of one errands on the way to another, eliminating unnecessary trips. If you have to go multiple places, an app like SpeedyRoute can help you figure out the most efficient route.
Slow down. Hit the gas a little softer, coast when you can and keep your speed down, particularly on highways.
Avoid rush hour. Now that restrictions on life are loosening as more people get vaccinated against COVID-19, Northern Virginia is starting to see a "rush hour" again. Try to avoid going out during the morning and evening commuting rush to avoid idling in stopped traffic.
