Seeing the long lines at the pump this week in states along the Atlantic Coast reminds me of similar sights in 1973 and ‘79. Yes, decades before shoppers began buying excessive amounts of toilet paper during the COVID pandemic, I remember panicked customers hoarding gasoline.
The prevailing thought is massive gas shortages won’t happen in California, but what if they do? Does the state have a contingency plan in place? Will gas prices, which are averaging $4 a gallon now, skyrocket up to $7 a gallon like they did in some places this week in the east? Unrelated to a gas shortage, we already are experiencing increases in prices at the grocery store. Is the state prepared to cap prices if the cost of transporting food items soars?
I realize comparing the hacking of the Colonial Pipeline is not the same as California’s link to gasoline; still, it’s never too early to have contingency plans in place. With this last thought in mind, I have to ask: What are they?
-DF