N. Dakota Retailers Reporting 3 Weeks Of "Extreme" Gasoline Shortage - Diesel May Be Harvest Problem

[hatrack]

As a parade of more than 50 tanker trucks waited to fill up at a West Fargo fuel terminal Friday, Todd Jacobson talked about how he hopes to keep the gas pumping at his Sooper Stop station several blocks away. “When you’re doing business in this town and not sure where your next load of gas is going to come from, if you’re in my business, that’s a scary thought,” Jacobson said.

Sporadic gas shortages at terminals in West Fargo and Grand Forks, N.D., prompted the Democratic candidate for governor to call for a new refinery and more pipeline capacity in the state. “We have the oil right here in North Dakota, and we aren’t using it properly,” state Sen. Tim Mathern, D-Fargo, said during a news conference at the Sooper Stop.

Mathern was among a group of Democratic legislators who in January proposed a state-owned refinery to alleviate high gas prices and shortages.

EDIT

Local gas retailers have been experiencing an “extreme” shortage of available refined gas the past three weeks, Jacobson said. During similar gas shortages last fall, he said his inventory dropped to 100 gallons at times. Jacobson said he had to drive to Alexandria, Minn., to get his last three loads of gas because the West Fargo terminal was out. Customers ultimately pay the price of the extra travel, he said.

EDIT

http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm?id=213848§ion=News&freebie_check&CFID=82344416&CFTOKEN=27019200&jsessionid=8830b416d1ad7c257a3a

[Odin2005]

1. I saw that when I was over in West Fargo yesterday.

I had stopped by at a friend's place and was about to pick up a bite to eat and then head back home over in Moorhead when I saw that line of trucks and was thinking "WTF was with the humongous line of gasoline trucks?"