Fuel Rationing Imposed In NWT Town Of Inuvik - Imperial Only Shipped 50% Of Usual Load In Fall

[hatrack]

Gas station owners in Inuvik, N.W.T., are rationing their fuel this week, as petroleum supplier Imperial Oil does not have enough to keep everyone in the Arctic town running until the next annual shipment arrives by barge.

Blaming shipping delays last fall, officials with Imperial Oil have told local businesses to ration fuel so that supplies are available for essential services, such as home heating, aviation and transportation.

But James Firth, who manages a local gas bar, told CBC News he was left in the dark about the fuel shortage. He will pump out the last of his diesel supply sometime this week, and run out of gasoline by mid-February, he said. "I feel betrayed. I mean, if we knew this a long time ago, we could have been ready for it. But you know, just before Christmas they tell us," Firth told CBC News on Friday. "It's almost like they're trying to hide it, but sooner or later it's got to come out, so we better tell them now, you know?"

Firth said officials with the Calgary-based Imperial Oil told him that only six million litres of fuel were sent to Inuvik by barge in its fall barge shipment — half the amount the town of 3,500 usually receives. As a result of the shortage, Firth said he stands to lose about $500,000 if he cannot find another way to obtain diesel.

EDIT

http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2008/01/14/inuvik-gas.html