Hacker News Reader

Comment by mgolawala | Hacker News Reader

You do not need actual disruptions in supply to create a shortage. The threat of a disruption or a shortage for such a critical commodity can create a situation that it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy (short term).

That is what can often create bank runs and created the "great toilet paper shortage of 2020".

View on HN

But the pipeline has been closed: https://abc11.com/business/theres-plenty-of-gas-in-the-us-th...

And the toilet paper shortage was not purely panic-driven. People did shit at work before the pandemic, and that part of demand switched to a different supply chain. The panic-induced bullwhip was probably stronger than the original demand spike, but the whole thing wasn't just memed into existence.

The pipeline was shut down as a preventive measure (we're being told) just in case the attackers had made their way into the control systems. Trucking of gas has been increased to compensate for the closure of the pipeline, and there was emergency legislation passed in Congress to lift regulations that would have prevented these higher levels of trucking. The gas supply has been just fine here in the Northeast; the issues I've heard about have been in the South and Southeast due to panic buying (in areas of the country that shouldn't have been negatively affected by the closure of the TX->NY pipeline).

Preventive measures shouldn't be creating third-world-level shortages in basic supplies; those things are dangerous themselves. I'm not sure where the Northeast ends for you, but DC seems to have had serious shortages as late as 2 days ago: https://twitter.com/GasBuddyGuy/status/1392467605898907652

Reply on news.ycombinator.com