WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th May, 2021) US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that the recent measures implemented by his administration to mitigate the consequences of the Colonial Pipeline shutdown will provide enough fuel for about 5 million vehicles while a portion of the pipeline in the US states of North Carolina and Maryland operate under manual control.
"Over the weekend, we reviewed and worked with the company to get a portion of the pipeline system from North Carolina to Maryland to operate under manual control," Biden said during a briefing. "The extraordinary measures the administration has taken, we estimate, sent enough gas to stations to fill the tanks of over 5 million vehicles in the last few days."
Biden pointed out that the return to normal fuel deliveries will begin this weekend region by region and take "some time" since the� 5,500-mile-long pipeline has never been fully shut down.
On Wednesday, the Biden administration also granted a waiver of the Jones Act to fuel suppliers that now allows non-US-flagged vessels to transport refined fuel products from the Gulf of Mexico to affected areas in order to boost fuel supplies to the affected states, the President added.
Earlier on Thursday, the US Internal Revenue Service announced that it has lifted penalties for those who either sell or use dyed diesel fuel on US highways in states experiencing fuel shortages due to the Colonial Pipeline shutdown.
The cyberattack on the Colonial Pipeline last week led to fuel shortages across several US states. On Wednesday, the fuel transportation company announced it resumed operation but it will take a few days to get things back on track.
