New Jersey “will be out of gas for a week.”
Get PolitiFact in your inbox.
New Jersey isn’t out of gas and that’s unlikely to change
If Your Time is short
- New Jersey hasn’t run out of gas and it’s unlikely that it will, according to the state’s fuel merchants association.
The cyberattack on the Colonial Pipeline has caused one of the country’s major conduits for refined gasoline to shut down, and rumors about gas shortages have followed. Among them: that the state of New Jersey "will be out of gas for a week."
This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
As of May 10, the day that claim was posted on Facebook, New Jersey still had plenty of gas, said Eric DeGesero, executive president of the Fuel Merchants Association of New Jersey. And, he said, the idea that the state would be out of gas for a week "is very far-fetched."
Featured Fact-check
Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy didn’t have that kind of impact, and New Jersey is not solely reliant on gasoline from the Colonial Pipeline, DeGesero said. So while some residents could see prices rise, the possibility is New Jersey running out of fuel is as likely "as me getting voted People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive," he said. "Infinitesimal."
We rate this post False.
Our Sources
Facebook post, May 10, 2021
The New York Times, Cyberattack forces a shutdown of top U.S. pipeline, May 8, 2021
Eric DeGesero, executive president, Fuel Merchants Association of New Jersey, May 10, 2021
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Ciara O'Rourke
New Jersey isn’t out of gas and that’s unlikely to change
Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!
In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.