Liberals and spinning go hand in hand. Just like peanut butter and jelly. The average price for gas in 2019 was $2.60 a gallon. I think I've read where ol Boogie said the reason it was low in 2020 ($2.19/gallon) was in part due to Covid. So while they're (Fauci and his cronies) are trying to kill us, we get a little more relief at the pump. Thanks. Lil Duckey said gas jumped due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Well that happened in Feb of 22. Gas did jump higher than 21 ($3.01) though, all the way to $3.95. So what's the reason for gas being $3.01 during Ol Joe's first year in office?
The funniest line I've read in a while was the gem by Duckey. "Biden had to react to higher oil prices and other prices that were largely outside of his control."
The only control Biden had for four years was with the remote. Will it be cartoons or a Spider Man movie?
In 2021, the U.S. average retail price for regular gasoline rose from about $2.25 per gallon at the start of the year to $3.28 per gallon by the end of December, according to data from the
U.S. Energy Information Administration. [
1]
Key Details from 2021
- Starting Price: When Joe Biden took office in January 2021, the national average was roughly $2.39 to $2.42 per gallon, following a dip in demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [1, 2]
- Milestones: Prices crossed $3.00 per gallon for the first time in mid-May 2021, partly influenced by a temporary shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline. [1]
- 2021 Average: The overall annual average for 2021 finished at about $3.01 to $3.09 per gallon—the highest nominal yearly average since 2014. [1, 2]
- Contributing Factors: The general upward trend through 2021 was driven by rebounding global economic activity, higher crude oil prices, and increasing fuel demand as pandemic restrictions eased
The Colonial Pipeline Company shut down its own pipeline on May 7, 2021. [
1,
2]
Why the Shutdown Happened
- Ransomware attack: A criminal hacker group named DarkSide infected the company's business computer systems with malware. [1, 2]
- Safety precaution: The company stopped all pipeline operations on purpose to keep the computer infection from spreading to the physical controls. [1, 2]
- Who was responsible: The cyberattack was carried out by DarkSide, a cybercriminal group, but the company itself made the final choice to close the valves and halt the flow of fuel. [1, 2, 3]
The shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline mainly affected
consumers and drivers in the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic United States, triggering widespread panic buying and severe gasoline shortages.
Because the pipeline supplies roughly 45% of the East Coast's fuel, the shutdown had a massive ripple effect across several specific groups:
1. Drivers in Specific States
The impact was highly regional. The states that suffered the most severe gas shortages and longest lines at the pump included:
- North Carolina & South Carolina
- Virginia
- Georgia
- Florida
- Tennessee
In many of these states, more than 50% of gas stations completely ran out of fuel due to panic buying.
2. The Airline Industry
Major airports along the East Coast faced immediate fuel supply crunches.
- Charlotte Douglas International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport had to alter flight schedules.
- American Airlines was forced to add stops to some of its long-haul routes out of Charlotte to refuel in other states.
3. Colonial Pipeline Company
The company itself suffered major operational and reputational damage. To regain control of their systems quickly, CEO Joseph Blount approved a
$4.4 million cryptocurrency ransom payment to the DarkSide hackers shortly after the shutdown.
