ALPHARETTA, Ga. — The oil pipeline shut down over a cyberattack is up and running again.
Colonial announced the pipeline serving much of the South and East Coast restarted operations Wednesday afternoon, days after a ransomware attack on its network. The company says it will take several days for the supply chain to return to normal.
The shutdown has led to gas shortages and long lines at service stations across the South. Gas prices for many Americans have also spiked because of the shutdown.
The 5,500-mile pipeline is responsible for carrying fuel from refineries along the Gulf Coast to New Jersey. It provides nearly half the gasoline and diesel consumed by the East Coast, making it perhaps America’s most important pipeline.
Oil industry executives warned Wednesday that gas hoarding by Americans during the shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline is worsening the supply crunch.
“This situation is now being exacerbated by panic buying and hoarding,” Frank Macchiarola, an executive at the American Petroleum Institute, said during a press briefing.
Executives also called on the White House to grant waivers that would allow foreign ships to send fuel to the East Coast to meet skyrocketing demand following the shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline.
