Labor Day Weekend: Destination Gas Roundup

A fair amount of Washingtonians are expected to head out of town this weekend despite high gas prices. Here's the state of the pumps at popular destinations.

Eastern Shore: A handful of Maryland gas stations ran out of regular gasoline near Annapolis, but they still had premium available, according to the Capital. The EPA has lifted the Maryland restriction for specially formulated gas in hopes that supply concerns will be eased.

Richmond: Gasoline supplies were tightening, and distributors were placed on limited allocations of fuel.

New York: Because New York doesn't get its gasoline from the Gulf Coast, supplies are not endangered. Price spikes have been reported, and cab drivers are asking for a fuel-related surcharge to help offset rising prices.

Hampton Roads: Prices rose, but there have been no reports of outages or stations closing.

Outer Banks: Gas shortages were feared, and some stations weren't sure when their next shipment would arrive. Some stations where machines are old and can't accept prices over $2.99 a gallon are going to "half-pricing," where the price displayed is per half-gallon of gasoline.

UPDATE:

Some key points from today's live discussion with AAA's John Townsend:

* The spike in gas prices is caused by a decrease in supply due to refinery and pipeline disruptions. Before the hurricane, prices were already rising along with demand and the price of crude oil.
* Panicking to buy gas will only put more strain on the area gasoline supply.
* There is NO statewide gasoline outage in Maryland.
* While there are scattered reports of price gouging, neither Maryland or Virginia have laws protecting against the practice. Cases of gouging are being referred to federal officials for investigation.

Check out the full discussion.

By Ann Marchand |  September 2, 2005; 2:34 PM ET  | Category:  Gasoline
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