Those of you who live in Greensboro are well aware that the Colonial Pipeline gasoline leak wreaked havoc in our community. On September 9th, the largest gasoline conduit in the United States had to partially shut down. The pipe carries over a million barrels a day from the company’s refining hub on the Gulf Cost to its customers on the East Coast.* Many gas stations ran out of gas; plastic bags and yellow caution tape alerted drivers that there was no need to stop. Those places with gas saw long lines and, as our favorite stations refilled their supply, the wait to refuel was several cars deep with lines spilling out onto the roads.

A few price increases later, with a rerouted supply pipe and extra gas-filled trucks on the road, life is starting to get back to normal. Let us learn from this recent event to take nothing for granted. Fossil fuels are, indeed, limited. A million barrels a day is a mind boggling amount and we need to do what we can to be mindful of use. This past weekend we heard people eliminating non-essential travel, talking of car pooling, working from home, and coming up with other creative ways to be thrifty with gas consumption. Sometimes, it is good to take pause and think about what we normally take for granted.

Usually, when stuck in traffic, we don’t want to get behind those big gas trucks. But, when the Love’s truck pulled up beside us the other day, we were joyful that more local stations would be replenishing their supply of gas. Indeed, we rather LOVE having a full tank!

*reference and more information.