Reno Airport Sees Fuel Shortage as Fires Draw Away Truckers

Kinder Morgan pipeline to ration capacity for California oil
Major truck-stop owner protests any regulatory intervention

Fuel-hauling companies that reduced staff during the pandemic are struggling to hire back drivers that found jobs elsewhere.Photographer: George Frey/Bloomberg

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By Jeffrey Bair and Naureen S Malik

July 27, 2021 at 9:57 PM UTC

Updated on

July 28, 2021 at 4:36 PM UTC

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Reno, Nevada, is facing a two-pronged energy-supply problem during a national glut: a scarcity of pipeline space and a trucker shortage as crews combating West Coast wildfires command more fuel.

The airport serving the casino city of more than 200,000 and nearby Lake Tahoe resorts has asked for help in securing jet fuel. It sits at the eastern terminus of Kinder Morgan’s Northern California pipeline system, making it the last stop for gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel churned out by San Francisco Bay-area refineries.