Those living in California have known for a while that it doesn't take much for gas prices to skyrocket -- if someone looks at a refinery the wrong way, gas gets more expensive.
But now with the shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline along the East Coast expected to stretch into this weekend, what happens to gas prices here and across the country?
Phil Flynn, senior energy analyst at The PRICE Futures Group and a Fox Business Network contributor, tells hosts Charles Feldman and Mike Simpson of the In-Depth podcast, that "America is being held hostage" by these pipelines.
"We joke about hacking, but this is a major threat to our security and to our economy. It goes beyond just gasoline prices, it really is a threat to our national infrastructure an it's going to have to be dealt with," Flynn says.
In terms of California, Flynn says it's a particularly difficult situation as "You don't have pipelines. You have to have it shipped in."
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Gas prices in SoCal are on the rise. In L.A. a regular gallon of gas could cost as much as $4.15, whereas a year ago the price was closer to $2.85.
The Colonial Pipeline supplies 45% of all of the fuel to the East Coast.
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