Biden White House Is ‘Monitoring’ Fuel Shortages From Colonial Pipeline Cyber Attack

President Joe Biden’s administration is “monitoring” fuel shortages in the Southeast U.S. that are coming as a result of the cyber attack against Colonial Pipeline, White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced late Monday.

The U.S. has accused the hacking organization “DarkSide” of carrying out the ransomware attack against Colonial Pipeline, a private company. The company was forced to shut down 5,500 miles of pipeline that supply roughly 45% of the oil used on the East Coast. Neither the Biden administration nor the company has announced whether a ransom has been paid, but the pipeline remained shut down as of Monday.

“The Administration is continually assessing the impact of this ongoing incident on fuel supply for the East Coast. We are monitoring supply shortages in parts of the Southeast and are evaluating every action the Administration can take to mitigate the impact as much as possible,” Psaki said in a statement Monday night.

“The President continues to be regularly briefed on the Colonial Pipeline incident,” she added. (RELATED: REPORT: Biden Administration To Create Task Force To Address China-Linked Cyber Attack Against Microsoft)

A company that operates a major U.S. energy pipeline says it was forced to temporarily halt all pipeline operations following a cybersecurity attack. Colonial Pipeline says the attack affected some of its information technology systems. https://t.co/vwzSRLGaKW

— The Associated Press (@AP) May 8, 2021

The U.S. government said earlier Monday that it does not at this point believe a foreign nation was behind the attack, saying evidence points to DarkSide acting on its own accord. Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency on Monday in an effort to ensure a normal oil supply.

“The President has directed agencies across the Federal Government to bring their resources to bear to help alleviate shortages where they may occur,” Psaki said in a statement.