The country's largest fuel pipeline is back up and running again, after a cyberattack forced it to be shut down for several days.

What You Need To Know

  • The Colonial Pipeline announced resumption of operations Wednesday
  • AAA noticed gas prices are up due to spring demand and the Colonial Pipeline shutdown
  • Gas prices in Buffalo have increased more than 5 cents since last week 

"You drive up to a gas station and it says, ‘we don't have enough gas, we're not used to gas pumps running dry,’” said Elizabeth Carey, the public relations director for AAA Western and Central New York. 

Throughout the past week, there've been long lines at the pump, and even places running out of gas in the southeast after the Colonial Pipeline was shut down for days due to a cyberattack by hackers. Drivers resorted to panic buying, which drained supplies at gas stations. 

The pipeline delivers about 45% of the fuel consumed on the east coast, with states in the southeast heavily reliant on it. 

"The point is that there is ample supply of gasoline in the United States,” said Carey. “This is really just a delivery issue.”

On Wednesday, the pipeline restarted operations, but that doesn't necessarily mean drivers are out of the woods just yet.

"It's still going to take about 15 days to refuel to get gasoline going again from Texas to the New Jersey area, and that's where our gas will eventually be coming from,” said Carey. “It could definitely impact prices in the long-term, but hopefully they'll be short-lived, and we'll get through this, and then we'll come down a bit." 

This comes as many gear up for the summer travel season. AAA reports gas prices are on the rise because of spring demand and what's transpired with the pipeline. On Monday, AAA claimed gas prices in Buffalo were up 5 cents since last week. The average price for gas in Buffalo is about $2.94, while the national average is just above $3.

"Typically, gas prices peak at Memorial Day, and then they usually taper off a little bit into the summer, so we're reaching really peak season for gas prices anyway,” Carey said. “This is really exasperating the situation.”

AAA warns against panic buying gas and stockpiling it. If you're planning to hit the roads for a trip, Carey recommends using the AAA mobile app to map out gas stations and compare gas prices.