Gas shortage at some Las Vegas Valley stations appears to be easing

Earlier this week, several Chevron stations ran out of fuel products or only had diesel and/or premium gas available.

The company’s main pipeline that serves the valley, the Calnev Pipeline operated by Kinder Morgan, saw operational constraints. The pipeline transports fuel products from Southern California refineries to a terminal adjacent to the Nellis Air Force Base in North Las Vegas.

On Twitter, the company tweeted to valley customers that “due to limits currently in operation on the pipeline serving the Las Vegas area, fuel deliveries have been impacted.”

Over the last few days, the Review-Journal re-checked several Chevron gas stations that previously ran out of gas on Monday. Many of the stations were back up and running again with no issues.

Chevron previously said that the West Coast saw increases in fuel demand that “may outpace the available supply at times during the month” as travel increases and capacity restrictions are eased.

Tips for drivers

AAA Nevada said the recent fuel products issue with Chevron seems to only happen in a small number of markets.

“The markets that have seen this issue have been connected to certain brands/chains,” said AAA Nevada spokesman Sergio Avila. “I visited a few gas stations that had recently been out of fuel and they were back up and running as of yesterday. What I can say for sure is there is an ample supply of gasoline in the United States.”

And, as to why gas prices are going up higher, Avila said demand plays a large role.

“People are simply driving more, be that to the office, to schools, and on trips,” he said.

AAA Nevada has some tips for drivers looking to save money and conserve fuel:

— The beginning of the workweek is typically less expensive with the end of the week being more expensive given increased demand.

— If the route you take to work is highly trafficked, that could have more expensive prices during the morning commute than in the evening, depending on how often prices are updated by the station.

— Minimize your use of air conditioning. Even at highway speeds, open windows have less effect on fuel economy than the engine power required to operate the air conditioning compressor.

— Plan ahead to accomplish multiple errands in one trip, and whenever possible travel outside high-traffic times of the day.

— If you own more than one car, use the most fuel-efficient model that meets the needs of any given journey.

— Remove unnecessary and bulky items from your car. It takes more fuel to accelerate a heavier car, and the reduction in fuel economy is greater for small cars than larger models.

— Minimize your use of roof racks and remove special carriers when not in use. On the highway, even an empty bike rack can reduce fuel economy, and a loaded rack or car-top container will have a major effect on gas mileage.

Contact Jonathan Ng at jng@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ByJonathanNg on Twitter.