Gas shortages not likely during eclipse, though traffic should spike

While the upcoming eclipse is expected to bring heavy traffic, industry professionals said rumors or warnings of gasoline shortages are unlikely.

“I’ve seen some of that stuff,” said Mike Right, AAA vice president of public affairs, referring to rumors of gas shortages. “It’s like it’s Armageddon. I doubt that gas stations are going to run out of gasoline because of the eclipse. ... I don’t think there’s gonna be any kind of ‘car-mageddon’ associated with it. There may be some spots that do have some extraordinary amounts of traffic, particularly in small communities, but I think we’ll get through this real nicely.”

Even if there are heightened traffic levels, Right said the layout of the affected areas is such that motorists likely will be able to fuel up in communities adjacent to those covered by the total eclipse.

“I don’t know that it’s a legitimate concern, but you know it’s a good idea, particularly if you’re from out of the area, to come into the area with plenty of fuel to get you home,” he said. “Modern-day cars, it’s not unusual to get 400 miles to a tank full of gasoline, and surely within 400 miles, you’ll be able to find gasoline, because you’d be well out of the area covered by the 100 percent eclipse if necessary.”

Right said a more pertinent concern may be reminding drivers to illuminate headlights during the event, because the eclipse will blanket the area in darkness.

Ronald Leone, executive director of the Missouri Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association, also sought to reassure travelers.

Gas stations, he said, are “extraordinarily good at making sure supply meets demand, so even if demand temporarily spikes, we’re very confident that there will be plenty of supply to meet that demand.”

While viewers may see the event as a “once-in-a-lifetime” phenomenon, Leone said to gas vendors, it’s little more than just another football game.

“[The eclipse] is unprecedented in the sense that it’s the eclipse, but obviously there’s football games and there’s other sporting events, there’s festivals, there’s all kinds of things that bring people into an area for a short period of time,” he said. “This is unique, I do agree with that, but it’s not unprecedented in the sense that we’re going to have an influx of people coming in for an event, and then they’re going to go home.”

If anything, Leone said, the event will be a boon to vendors across the state as people fill up not only along the eclipse corridor, but on their way.

“We’re hoping it’s going to be good for business so that we can generate lots of tax revenue for local and state coffers,” he said. “The industry is extraordinarily adept at making sure those things meet up, and getting loads of fuel when needed is their forte.”

Brent Anderson, Rhodes 101’s vice president of business development and operations, said the eclipse was an exciting but “unprecedented” time for Southeast Missouri residents, and caution is warranted.

Anderson said the company will “have a plan in place to make sure our locations’ fuel tanks are full and we are ready to serve our customers’ needs during this exciting time period.”

Messages left with Kidd’s gas station owner Adam Kidd were not returned.

tgraef@semissourian.com

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