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Could Atlanta See Another Gas Shortage?
Jim Burress (2009-08-27)
ATLANTA, GA (WABE) - A year ago, Atlanta was on the brink of a gasoline supply crisis. As WABE's Jim Burress reports, some of those factors could again come into play.



Here's some historic gasoline mathematics:

September 2008. One barrel of light, sweet, crude: About $115.

Atlanta's average price per gallon of gas: An all-time high--$4.11.

Add some storms named Gustav and Ike. That equaled hours in line if you could find gas.

"Those things always have the potential to resurface."

That's Gregg Laskoski of AAA South. He says this is an interesting month because of an increasingly volatile oil market and an already active hurricane season.

"Let's just say hypothetically a hurricane on the horizon. That always has the potential to do the same thing where we could see some spot outages."

especially if those storms hit the Gulf of Mexico, where Atlanta gets a majority of its gas.

One factor different from last fall is the economy. Budgets are tighter, which keep demand low, holding down prices.

Jim Burress, WABE News.
© Copyright 2009, WABE