Harvey Causes Increase in Gas Prices in Connecticut

Gas prices are going up in Connecticut because of the damage Harvey has caused in Texas since Friday. 

AAA says the average price of gas across the state has increased three cents in the past week to $2.50 a gallon and prices will keep climbing over Labor Day weekend and into September. 

“When you see what’s going on in Houston, you can hardly refer to an increase in our gas prices as ‘pain’ at the pump,” AAA spokesperson Amy Parmenter said in a statement. “That said, the timing of the increase is unfortunate for all those planning one final road trip this summer.” 

As the energy sector in the southeast Texas Gulf Coast deals with flooding in the aftermath of Harvey, it will be days or even weeks before is back to normal operations.

The region from Corpus Christi, Texas, where Harvey made landfall, to the Louisiana state line accounts for about 3 percent of the U.S. economy and is a crucial export market for oil and chemicals. 

Exxon, Shell and other companies have reported to Texas regulators that some of their storage tanks and other facilities near Houston were damaged by the torrential rains and flooding. Most of the reports seem to indicate relatively minor damage, but still it could be days before crews can assess matters and make repairs. 

Parts of the Colonial Pipeline, the main fuel line that runs from Texas to New York, remains shut down — partly because with refineries closed, there is nothing to ship, but also because of Harvey-related damage.

Colonial Pipeline Co., the biggest fuel transporter in the U.S., said Wednesday night in a statement that a line carrying diesel and jet fuel is temporarily shut down and that a line carrying gasoline would close today. The company plans to resume normal operations as conditions improve.

One analyst told NBC News that this could be a major blow to the country’s fuel system.

Some refineries in the Northeast are also now shipping supplies to areas of the country where supplies are low.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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