Nebraska gas supply shortage leads to limited availability

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (KSNB) — Due to a statewide gas supply shortage, anyone who’s been to the gas station lately may have noticed certain blends or types of fuel are in low supply — or out of stock entirely.

Bosselman Enterprises CEO Charlie Bosselman said refineries are in the process of switching from winter to summer blends, which has caused delays over the past few weeks.

“We still have supply, but we have to work a little harder to find it,” Bosselman said.

To meet demand, Bosselman said their team has had to look outside their usual market.

“What we’ve been doing is going outside of our area to get fuel. We’re running down to Kansas, Oklahoma and Wyoming, so we’re having to go quite a bit further to find supply,” Bosselman said.

That extra distance can lead to higher prices at the pump.

“The problem with that is it adds a lot of cost to the product; it adds a lot of freight cost, which effects the overall retail price of the fuel,” Bosselman said.

In early May, Governor Jim Pillen signed an emergency order temporarily waiving regulations for truckers hauling fuel. The order extends the number of hours a trucker can legally work, which Bosselman said has helped significantly.

“Oftentimes they’ll show up at the pipeline, and there’ll be huge lines of trucks waiting to get fuel,” Bosselman said. “While they’re sitting in the truck, that time counts toward their hours of service. Since they only have a limited amount of driving hours, the extended time allows them to continue hauling fuel.”

Pillen’s order is set to expire at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday.

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