Just a few weeks ago, President Joe Biden was bragging to Congress that the economy was booming and that our financial standing will enhance in the country. Now, gas has increased above $7 per gallon in Virginia. Nationwide shortages and gas price hikes are happening in dozens of states as the Biden Administration is to blame for a cyberattack that happened under their watch. One year ago today, gas was $1.29 but hey no mean tweets, right?
The Colonial Pipeline recently shut down after a ransomware cyberattack by a group of terrorists, leaving many governors throughout the Southeast to declare a state of emergency. President Biden shared with White House reporters that fuel shortages throughout the country will persist in the near future and called on gas stations not to engage in price gouging.
Workers announced that it would take days to go through the restart process of the pipeline systems and assume normal operations, leaving fuel stations scrambling for supply. Thousands of gas stations throughout the southern United States still remain without gasoline and by late Monday, more than one in 20 gas stations in Virginia was out of fuel.
One motorist at a BP gas station in Virginia told local media sources that when she pulled up to the pump she didn’t notice the price at the time, which was $5.99 per gallon until she filled up her tank. “It was a lot of people there, no one looked at the price. I had half a tank of gas, so when it got to $25 I started looking to see what was going on. And after I got to $30, I was like, ‘oh my God! I spent $35.45 to fill up my tank. Six gallons of gas for $35. That’s absolutely ridiculous,” she said.
Another driver told reporters that he started pumping gas and then realized he’d just put $80 worth in his truck. A lady next to him said she put $100 in her car and started crying because she said her car didn’t take that much.
While Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring said that some officials may try to take advantage of the fuel shortage to gouge customers, their office will investigate price reports to ensure that the laws are enforced.
Reporters continued to share images taken at local gas stations. Virginia 8 News Reporter Laura Perrot shared pictures at a Williamsburg Rd & Parker St. gas station of the $ 6.99-gallon gas price, writing that the price is not advertised until you get to the pump. According to her reports, the owner said that the station was out of gas but that she’s been watching people fill up their tanks with the $6.99/gallon price. She said that the store employees did not know what was going on and that the owner would be in the next day.
Herring shared that the ransomware attack would create disruptions in the gasoline supply across the Commonwealth but that Virginians shouldn’t have to worry about paying “exorbitant prices” for gas and other necessary goods during this time.
“I want to encourage any Virginian who believes they may have a price-gouging complaint related to this incident to reach out to either my Consumer Protection Section or the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services,” his office wrote to Perrot.
Joe Biden’s presidency has been a gas crisis, border crisis, closed schools, inflation rising, major crime, and raising taxes. While Joe Biden responds to attacks, President Trump pro-actively avoided them.
