North Carolina gas prices still high after Colonial Pipeline hack
(The Center Square) – Gas prices in North Carolina have remained high more than seven weeks after the Colonial Pipeline attack.
The average gas price in the state is about $2.87 a gallon for regular fuel and $3.57 a gallon for premium fuel, AAA reports show. On May 4, a few days before the Colonial hack, the average regular fuel price was about $2.67 a gallon.
The Georgia-based Colonial Pipeline reported a ransomware attack May 7, resulting in a temporary shutdown and a spike in gas prices. Some gas stations across the state saw fuel shortages.
Colonial Pipeline’s 5,500-mile system is the largest refined products pipeline system in the U.S. It provides about 45% of the fuel on the East Coast between Texas and New York.
North Carolina’s average gas prices shot up 11 cents within days of the attack. North Carolina’s gas prices remain below the national average, and the state’s prices have dipped from a week ago. The average gallon of gas last week was $2.88, 2 cents less than a month ago.
The average gas price in North Carolina a year ago was $2.06 a gallon.
AAA experts said the national gas price average, at $3.09 a gallon, is at its highest of the year and will continue to climb leading up to the Fourth of July weekend.
“Today, 89% of U.S. gas stations are selling regular unleaded for $2.75 or more. That is a stark increase over last July 4 when only a quarter of stations were selling gas for more than $2.25,” AAA spokesperson Jeanette McGee said. “Road trippers will pay the most to fill up for the holiday since 2014.”
AAA reports show the highest gas prices in the state are in Hyde County, the second-least populous county in North Carolina. The average gas prices in Hyde on Monday was $3.09 per gallon, right at the national average.
North Carolinians can find the cheapest gas in Beaufort County at an average of $2.71 per gallon, 16 cents a gallon below the state average.
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