BATON ROUGE - On Tuesday morning, several local gas stations were dealing with a temporary fuel shortage that officials expected to clear up soon.

The shortage was attributed to a cyberextortion attempt that forced the shutdown of a vital U.S. pipeline. 

When a group called DarkSide threatened officials with a ransomware attack, operation of the Georgia-based Colonial Pipeline, which carries gasoline and other fuel from Texas to the Northeast, came to a halt.

Louisiana is one of 10 states that depends on the Colonial Pipeline for a supply of fuel. As of Tuesday, the Pipeline has been shut down for a total of four days.

But officials say it won't be long before things are once again up and running. They expect the exemption in fuel supply to end by June 8.

That said, local gas stations may experience a seeming decrease in fuel supply as that date approaches.