Isaias could create higher fuel prices. Here’s why

(Gray News) - Hurricane Isaias is forecast to miss the oil industry’s biggest hubs along the Gulf Coast but could still nudge fuel prices higher if it triggers power outages that shut down refineries for processing crude, according to industry experts.An extended shutdown of refineries would put a crimp in fuel supplies that already have taken a hit from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and Russia’s war against Ukraine.Chevron’s facility in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and Vertex Energy’s refinery in Mobile, Alabama, which constitute 2.4% of the nation’s refining capacity, are at risk of flooding and power outages, said Andrew Lipow, a Houston-based oil analyst. Any problems could take the facilities offline at a time when diesel supplies are already low.Isaias strengthened into a major hurricane Friday as it barreled toward the Gulf Coast, where final preparations were underway for potentially life-threatening storm surges and high winds.If the storm moves through quickly and its i