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FACT BRIEF

Is the Keystone Pipeline closed and is that causing a gas shortage?

By Alexis Tereszcuk
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NO

The gas shortage on the East Coast of the United States in May 2021 was triggered by a cyberattack that shut down a major pipeline that running from Houston to New Jersey and supplying 45% of the gasoline to the East Coast.

The Keystone Pipeline, which moves crude oil from tar sands refineries in Canada and the Midwest to refineries in Texas, continues operating. President Joe Biden in January 2021 revoked the permit for an add-on to the Keystone system, but the rest of the system continues running.

The cyberattack shut down the 5,500-mile Colonial Pipeline, which shifts gas from refineries in Texas to distribution centers on the East Coast. Colonial Pipeline halted distribution on May 7, 2021, following the cyberattack. This caused the fuel shortages on the East Coast of the United States.

See a full discussion of this at Lead Stories
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Washington Post Colonial Pipeline ‘ransomware’ attack shows cyber vulnerabilities of U.S. energy grid
White House Executive Order on Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis
US Energy Information Administration Cyberattack halts fuel movement on Colonial petroleum pipeline
Keystone XL Pipeline Keystone XL — Maps
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.