CINCINNATI — The temporary shutdown of two major petroleum refineries in Ohio has one of the state’s biggest cities worried about a diesel fuel shortage.
Marathon Petroleum in Ironton, Ohio, and Husky Marketing and Supply Co. in Lima, Ohio, both shuttered operations for what they are calling preventative maintenance, which could last for a month or longer.
A City of Cincinnati memo detailed the shutdown and said that it is likely to greatly affect operations there.
“Currently, the City has enough reserves to maintain approximately three weeks of City services that require the use of diesel fuel,” the memo states.
“This supply timeframe does not account for City services that would be necessary in the event of snow or flooding. The existing reserve is 25 percent below the one-month supply we typically have stocked for emergencies. There are many essential City services that require the use of diesel fuel.”
Pilot Flying J stores are already reporting temporary diesel outages in parts of Ohio.
“Like other fuel retailers, we are seeing limited capacity in some markets due to extremely tight diesel supply conditions, particularly in the Columbus, Ohio, market region,” Brad Jenkins, senior vice president of supply and distribution for Pilot, said in a statement.
“We are working to manage demand across our stores in the surrounding areas to maintain consistent diesel supply for our customers and guests. Currently, all of our travel centers are open, however select locations may experience temporary diesel outages until the supply situation improves.”
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