Metro Atlanta gas shortage - Perdue requests Bush open reserves

Gov. Sonny Perdue has asked Pres. Bush to release crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. (Click here to view the letter to the president.)

“As President Bush and Congress work on a plan to rescue our financial markets, I urge them to also focus on our fuel shortage in the Southeast,” Perdue said in a release. “As refinery capacity is returning to pre-hurricane levels, I believe a surge in crude from the Reserve would bridge the gap until full production resumes and lessen the impact of shortages on the daily lives of our citizens.”

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 57.4 percent of crude oil production in the Gulf of Mexico is out, a slight improvement from Friday. Three refineries re-opened over the weekend; two refineries remain completely shut down. Oil is on the way, they say.

Keep us posted, governor. In the meantime, Georgians will continue to keep each other informed via Twitter.