Georgia governor declares state of emergency, suspends gas tax after prices surge overnight
Gov. Brian Kemp has declared a state of emergency following an executive order Tuesday to temporarily suspend the gas tax in Georgia amid the Colonial Pipeline cyber attack.
The state of emergency will remain in effect through 11:59 p.m. Saturday.
“My office has been in close contact with company and industry officials since we first learned of the Colonial cyber attack over the weekend,” Kemp said in a news release. “We are taking action to relieve some of the cost burden from Georgians as Colonial recovers by suspending fuel taxes, increasing the weight limit for supply trucks, and prohibiting price gouging.”
In five states served by Colonial Pipeline — Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia — demand for gas was up by a collective 40.1%, GasBuddy said in news release.
The Colonial Pipeline consists of four main lines. In an release Monday, Colonial Pipeline said Line 4, which runs from Greensboro, North Carolina, to Woodbine, Maryland, and moves 700,000 barrels per day, is operating under manual control while existing inventory is available. Lines 1-3 are still affected by the attack.
“We expect these measures to be temporary as Colonial plans to be fully up and running later this week,” Kemp said. “There is no need to rush to the gas station to fill up every tank you have and hoard gas. With the measures we have taken today, I am hopeful we can get more supply to stations and get through to this weekend when we hope Colonial will return to normal.”
As of Tuesday, the national price at the pump hit $2.985, the highest level in nearly six years, according to AAA. The Georgia average is $2.871, a $1.229 increase from last year’s average of $1.642.
To find current gas prices and availability, customers can use GasBuddy’s online tracker. Enter your zip code to access local gas prices and more.
This story was originally published May 11, 2021 at 1:42 PM.
