Kentuckians should prepare to pay more at the pump.
In the last week, the price of gas has jumped 12 cents a gallon, according to AAA. The state average for a gallon of gas is $2.84, which is less than the national average of $2.98.
Local prices will continue to rise as long as the Colonial Pipeline is offline. The pipeline runs from Houston, Texas, to Linden, New Jersey, and supplies 45% of all fuel to the East Coast.
The pipeline has been out of service since Friday, May 7, when it was hit by a cyberattack. It is unknown when the pipeline will start up again.
The states immediately effected by the shutdown are Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee because they pull most of their gas supply from the line.
While Kentucky isn't suffering from a fuel shortage, it will start to see a ripple effect the longer the pipeline is down.
“I pull a lot of product from Tennessee, I can’t get anything today. If it goes into next week, you’re going to see retailers going out of fuel because nobody has that much product in the ground at any time," Bob Riley, a co-owner of Riley Oil Company, told WKYT.
Complicating this is the start of summer travel, which will increase the demand for fuel in the coming weeks.
AAA is cautioning people against panic buying or hoarding gas, which can be extremely dangerous if stored incorrectly. The organization does recommend that people consolidate their errands in one trip, remove bulky items from their vehicle (like bike racks) when not in use, and reduce the use of their car's air conditioner to save on fuel.
Photo: Getty Images