Fallout from a cybersecurity attack on one of the United States' biggest gas pipelines could affect much of the eastern coast of the country, and many in Louisiana are asking how they could be impacted. The Colonial Pipeline Company announced that it would temporarily pause operations to investigate the threat and released the following statement.
"On May 7, the Colonial Pipeline Company learned it was the victim of a cybersecurity attack," the statement read. "We have since determined that this incident involves ransomware. In response, we proactively took certain systems offline to contain the threat, which has temporarily halted all pipeline operations and affected some of our IT systems."
The temporary shutdown is expected to impact several states, as the pipeline supplies about 45% of the fuel used along the East Coast, WBRZ reports. A shutdown could impact summer travel as the pipeline supplies product for everything from gasoline to jet fuel.
Gas prices have already been on the rise recently as more people have begun traveling again following the decrease in travel last year from the pandemic. However, the potential impact from the pipeline's halted operations may cause the prices to increase even more as demand increases. Louisiana currently sits on the lower end of the spectrum with an average of $2.64 per gallon.
Because of its proximity to the gulf and its abundance of fuel, Natalie Isaacks, executive director of the Louisiana Oil Marketers Convenience Store Association, doesn't expect the Pelican State to be largely affected by the pipeline closure. She asks drivers to be patient and not to panic, rushing to the nearest gas station to top off an already full tank of gas.
"We are closer to the gulf, we're closer to where we make fuel, so we can drive and get it," said Isaacks. "These other states are going to have to rely more on either trucking the fuel up or sending barges to get their fuel."
The impact of the pause will be determined by how long the pipeline remains offline. However, around noon on Monday (May 10), the company announced that it hopes to resume operations, in some capacity, later in the week.
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