Despite rumors, officials insist no fuel shortage

For all the folks who decided to wait in line for an hour or more to fill up their vehicles on Thursday because they thought there was a gas shortage, well, the effort may not have been worth the wait.

Officials said that panic — not a fuel shortage — is responsible for the long lines and outages at gas stations in Gonzales and other cities across Texas on Thursday.

Texas Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton said there is no fuel shortage. The problem, he said, is that too many drivers are trying to fill up at once.

This panic-fueled ambush created a ripple effect in the distribution system as "people try to get their hands on every gallon they can."

"This is a case of somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophesy," he said Thursday in a press conference hosted by the Texas Tribune. "It's like a run on a bank out of It's a Wonderful Life."

Thursday’s gas pump ambush started with fears about fuel shortages after Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath forced the closing of large Texas Gulf Coast refineries. Analysts estimated that at least 20 percent of the nation's refining capacity was offline.

Sitton further addressed the fear of gas shortage with the following statement:

"While some refineries have shut down or are operating at reduced capacity due to Hurricane Harvey, plenty of refining capacity is still online and we have more than 230 million barrels of gasoline supply in Texas to meet needs. Citizens have no need to fear shortages even though prices could climb during the next few weeks until all refining capacity is back online."