**WELCOME INSTAPUNDIT READERS!**
As of Saturday morning, most of Charlotte-area gas stations still have plastic bags over their pumps and gas hunting cars zipping in, around, and out of their parking lots. WBT-AM reports than only 7 of 80 gas stations surveyed in the Charlotte metro area have gasoline this morning.
Many parts of the Southeast are in a Gas Shortage Crisis, and the National Mainstream Media continues to ignore it.
Anderson Cooper…. where are you, man?
Gas lines remain today; deliveries still promised – Charlotte.com
It appears to be more of the same at gas stations across the Charlotte metro region, with only a fraction of stations selling fuel and long lines forming — despite promises that shipments of gas are on the way.
Lines began forming in the pre-dawn hours Saturday at a number of stations in the Charlotte area.
But officials from AAA Carolinas, government leaders and gasoline distributors say the tanker trucks are coming. A large shipment of fuel was reported to have been sent to Charlotte on Friday. However, some of those experts warned that the shortage won’t end quickly.
This week’s shortage is a result of hurricanes Ike and Gustav, which hit the Gulf Coast earlier this month, disrupting refinery production. Refineries had enough fuel in reserve to stock Southeastern pumps for about a week, but many stations ran out before the refineries could resume full production.
Four of the 17 Houston-area refineries remain closed, with most others in partial or full operation, AAA said.
Charlotte isn’t the only place grappling with a short gas supply, though the area saw the most serious disruptions in the state, with little or no shortages reported in eastern North Carolina, Crosby said. Stations were running out of fuel this week in Florida, Tennessee, Virginia and elsewhere, with the Atlanta area feeling particular pressure, the Associated Press reported.
Just this morning, I canvassed five gas stations in the South Charlotte area and all still had dry fuel tanks. I’m staying home now until I know for sure there will be gas somewhere. I’m running on fumes.
Remember folks, Charlotte is now the 20th largest city in the USA, the 2nd largest banking center in the USA (sorry, San Francisco)Â and North Carolina is the 10th largest state by population in the USA (sorry, New Jersey).
So where is the media focus and questions that a similar crisis in New York or Washington, DC would have attracted as soon as it started?
And Senator McCain — you’d be VERY wise to have you or Sarah come to Charlotte and talk about Energy Independence. You would be very popular right now with that message!
UPDATE: 1:30pm – Finally got gas at my local place. The tanker truck was still there as I pulled up. The wait was shorter than I expected — about 20 minutes. Unlike reports from other parts of Charlotte, my fellow gas-starved residents were orderly and no fights broke out. In fact, there were a couple pumps open for a few minutes — unlike last night when people were cutting each other off and getting into accidents to get to any open pump.
-Bruce (GayPatriot)