Colonial Pipeline paid hackers a $4.4 million ransom to regain control of its computer systems and restart fuel delivery to the East Coast, the company’s chief executive said Wednesday. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Colonial CEO Joseph Blount said the decision to pay off a hacking group was “the right thing to do for the country.” He acknowledged the payment was “highly controversial,” since federal officials largely encourage companies not to incentivize further cyberattacks by compensating bad actors.

But Blount said the payment was necessary given the essential nature of the company’s infrastructure. The pipeline supplies almost half of the East Coast’s fuel and almost immediately, the stoppage set off waves of panic buying. He said it was also not immediately clear how far hackers had reached into Colonial’s network and what other systems were at risk.