Tropical Depression Harvey continues its onslaught in parts of Mississippi and Lousiana today, but Texans are faced with a new problem in the storm's wake: an increased demand for gasoline while many Houston refineries remain offline.
In North Texas, many motorists are hunting for gas stations that still have fuel, even at increased prices.
Brad Douglass, CEO of Douglass Distributing based out of Sherman, Texas, said the unprecedented rainstorm is responsible for affecting 31 percent of the refinery capacity in the United States.
Texas Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton said during a sit-down chat with
The Texas Tribune that there no reason to panic.
“Right now in Texas, there are about 15 refineries that have been taken down because of the hurricane or at reduced capacity,” Sitton said.
But this represents only a few million barrels of gasoline out of the country’s total 230 million barrel supply.
“There’s a logistics issue,” he said, rather than a supply issue. As pipelines come back online and roads continue to open, supply trucks will be able to provide gas stations around Texas with gasoline from suppliers around the country.
Though Sitton understands the instinct to panic, he cautions people to wait to get gas if it’s not a crucial need or to drive a few miles farther to a station that has a greater supply and a shorter line.
If people rush to gas stations to fill up their tank out of fear that the supply will run out, they cause an increased demand.
“Even if all the refineries were running,” Sitton said, “we’d still be having this issue.”
For those concerned about price gouging, Sitton recommends filing a formal complaint with the state’s Department of Justice. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has vowed to prosecute gougers who take advantage of this crisis.
However, Sitton acknowledges that a 20-, 30- or 50-cent per-gallon increase does not constitute gouging but represents a short-term decrease in supply caused by the storm.
In Central Austin, the average lowest gas price has increased by about $0.10 since earlier this month, according to the gas tracking tech company GasBuddy.
On Aug. 4, the lowest prices registered in the area ranged between $1.99 and $2.14 per gallon, according to the site. Today, that range was between $2.09 and $2.29.
AAA Travel projected more than 35 million American would travel 50 miles or more from home during Labor Day weekend in 2015, the last year the company provided such statistics.
