State’s on top of gas shortage but do your part, too

In Wednesday’s AJC, gas distributor Tex Pitfield blamed our current fuel supply disruption on alleged inaction by state government, and more specifically Gov. Sonny Perdue. It is convenient, and sometimes warranted, to blame government and others during difficult times. However, it’s not accurate for Pitfield to blame state government for our current fuel shortage, even though it has certainly gained him publicity and television appearances.

Metro Atlanta, most of Georgia and the Southeast depend primarily on two pipelines, Colonial and Plantation, to supply fuel for millions of motorists. The refineries that supply Colonial and Plantation with petroleum receive crude oil from platforms and rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.

Back-to-back hurricanes, Gustav and Ike, recently swept through Texas and Louisiana resulting in lost output at the refineries and shut-in crude oil production in the Gulf of Mexico. As of Thursday, 62 percent of the Gulf crude oil production remained shut-in and most refineries have restarted their operations with limited production.

State agencies have been monitoring fuel supplies since Gustav began to threaten the Gulf Coast in late August. The monitoring continued with Ike. The state has closely followed the situation with the support of experts from Georgia’s fuel industry.

The governor has made careful decisions based on the recommendations these experts and his agency staff.

On Sept. 5, the state requested and was granted a hurricane-related waiver of clean fuel requirements, nearly a week before Pitfield says he contacted the governor.

On Sept. 11, an additional waiver was issued allowing Georgia and eight other Southeast states to begin selling “winter transition fuel” earlier than usual.

On Sept. 12, Gov. Perdue activated Georgia’s price gouging statute to protect consumers from unlawful increases in gas prices and other products.

On Sept. 15, a waiver was issued allowing fuel trucks more hours to deliver fuel and to carry larger loads of fuel to gas stations across the state.

On Sept. 16, the governor’s office sent out a press release, which major media outlets largely ignored, providing Georgians with fuel conservation tips.

On Sept. 22, after consultation with state officials and fuel industry partners, the state requested and was granted another waiver of clean fuel requirements through Oct. 12. The traditional summer ozone season is nearly over, so the relaxation of federal clean fuel requirements in metro Atlanta for a limited time will not have a major environmental impact on air quality. The requirement for cleaner burning gasoline in metro Atlanta is an effective tool in improving our air quality and will continue to be an important part of the state’s plan to meet air quality standards.

We will take whatever action is in the best interest of the public to mitigate the fuel shortages. It’s important to stay focused on this issue until it’s resolved, and avoid grandstanding.

Until the refineries and pipelines that Georgia relies on for fuel return to normal operations, we ask Georgians to continue to do their part to conserve fuel by reducing unnecessary travel, carpooling and using mass transit, telecommuting, driving a little slower, and refueling only when low on gas.

Chris Clark is executive director of the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority. Carol Couch is the director of the environmental protection division at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.