COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster is urging people not to run out and top off their gas tanks as there continues to be concerns following a cyberattack on a major gas pipeline.
McMaster tweeted Tuesday that he is in contact with state regulatory agencies about the shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline.
"There is no need to rush to top off your gas tanks or hoard gas - the pipeline is expected to resume operations by the end of the week," McMaster wrote.
Already in Columbia and other parts of the state there are gas stations that have seen a run on gas by customers who are worried about supply. A few stations have run out of gas entirely or have some pumps that have had to be closed.
But officials stress the fuel supply has not experienced widespread disruptions. The pipeline company says it's working toward “substantially restoring operational service” by this weekend.
He said because South Carolina remains in a state of emergency due to the pandemic, price gouging laws are still in effect and there are transportation waivers to make it easier to ship fuel into the state. He promised that the state is "ready to take any additional action that may be necessary.
The Colonial Pipeline, which delivers about 45 percent of fuel used on the East Coast was attacked by hackers late last week. The FBI says the criminal syndicate whose ransomware was used in the attack is named DarkSide, whose members are Russian speakers. Russia denies any involvement.
The White House says it's monitoring supply shortages in parts of the Southeast and President Joe Biden has directed federal agencies to bring their resources to bear.