Is there a gas shortage in Nebraska? Why some Omaha pumps keep running dry

What is being shared

On October 27, Yahoo News ran the headline "Omaha Drivers Keep Finding Empty Gas Pumps, But Some Locals Insist There Is No Shortage." It describes an October 23 Reddit thread in which some Omaha drivers listed dry stations and others said they had filled up with no trouble. One resident reported Casey's stations at 72nd and Grover and 84th and Grover out of fuel that day.

WOWT reported empty pumps around Omaha on October 19, including at Casey's, Sam's Club and a Bellevue convenience store. Casey's said: "We're aware of temporary fuel supply challenges affecting availability at some locations."

What is causing it

The Nebraska Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association's spokesman, Tim Keigher, said in a statement: "Every year at this time fuel supplies become tight. Some years tighter than others." Refineries are doing their seasonal turnarounds, and harvest pushes diesel demand to its peak. Because "both fuels are shipped through the same pipeline systems," shipping more diesel leaves less room for gasoline. He added: "I do agree it is worse than usual. I am not sure why yet."

Fuel hauler Jeff Tyree told KSNB that the North Platte hub was out of gas, so trucks were lining up at the Doniphan terminal, where diesel was "on allocation." A Yahoo News story says GasBuddy's Patrick De Haan pointed to a problem with one supplier at four Nebraska terminals, suggesting the outages were concentrated rather than network-wide.

What is confirmed, and what is not

Confirmed: outages at specific stations, stretched terminals and a state response. On October 19, Governor Jim Pillen signed Executive Order 26-25, which temporarily relaxes hours-of-service rules for fuel haulers and lets qualifying trucks exceed weight limits by up to 10%, through November 18. He cited "global supply disruptions and the incredibly short and busy harvest season."

EIA's weekly data backs up the tightness. Midwest gasoline stocks were 42.3 million barrels in the week ending October 16, the latest figures when we checked. That is lower than the same week in any year since 2000; the previous low was 45.4 million in 2014. Midwest distillate stocks, mostly diesel, were 25.3 million barrels, lower than every year since 2019 except 2022.

Not confirmed: a citywide or statewide shortage. Some residents report filling up without trouble, and the retailers' association expects outages to be brief. Keigher said "the stations that are out of fuel will most likely not be out for any length of time."

What it costs at the pump

AAA's Nebraska average for regular gas was $4.29 a gallon on October 28, against $2.86 a year earlier, and diesel was $6.19, against $3.43. That is close to AAA's national average of $4.25 for regular that day. In Omaha, regular has eased to $4.13, from $4.32 a week earlier.

What it means for your home

If your usual station is dry, another nearby may not be. Keep your tank at least half full, as the Red Cross advises, so a dry pump is an inconvenience rather than a problem. Ready.gov adds that "a full tank will also keep the fuel line from freezing," which matters as winter arrives.

Our winter car emergency kit guide covers what to keep in the trunk, and the power outage checklist covers the home.

• Keep your tank at least half full
• Fill up as normal; don't top off every day or fill extra cans
• If a station is out, try another nearby before you wait in line
• Keep a winter car kit in the trunk

What not to do

Don't panic-buy. Keigher said that the fuel system isn't built for everyone to fill up on the same day, and that panic buying makes the problem worse. Buying fuel you don't need now can help turn a patchy supply squeeze into empty pumps for your neighbors.