Gas shortage has politicians making tough calls

RALEIGH — Long lines at gas pumps in North Carolina are affecting politicians as well as motorists.

Elected leaders in Georgia and North Carolina, where gas supplies remain low three weeks after Hurricane Ike disrupted the north-south pipeline from Gulf Coast refineries, are making
judgment calls about how much government should respond.

One man pumping gas at an Atlanta station said the government should be more involved, and complained that the state of Georgia should have prepared people for the possible shortage as Ike was approaching.

A frustrated motorist sent an e-mail to Charlotte mayor Pat McCrory, asking “Do you exist?” as the town struggled with dwindling supplies. McCrory urged the city’s residents to conserve
gas, but avoided setting mandatory limits on purchases.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)