Don't panic over gas, Reeves says

With less than 30% of Mississippi’s fuel supply coming from the Colonial Pipeline, Gov. Tate Reeves on Tuesday urged citizens not to panic and rush to buy gasoline.

“Our team has been closely monitoring the situation since last Friday, and my message to you is simple: there is no need to panic.”

The Colonial Pipeline, which delivers about 45% of the fuel consumed on the East Coast, was hit by a cyberattack on Friday.

In a normal week, he said less than 30% of Mississippi’s fuel comes from the Colonial Pipeline.

The vast majority of Mississippi’s fuel (over 70%) comes from at least five other sources, both in and out of state, including the Pascagoula Refinery.

Also, necessary state and federal action has already occurred to allow longer hours for fuel to be delivered by tanker.

Even better news, the governors said is that the Colonial Pipeline is currently estimating that they will be back functional by the end of this week.

“If that timeline is accurate, this media-driven crisis will be no different than the toilet paper ‘crisis’ that was manufactured at the beginning of COVID,” he said.

“So stay calm – buy your normal level of weekly gasoline – and live your life! If everyone takes this approach, this will be behind us with minimal impact.”