ATLANTA (AP) Fuel supplies in at least five states are threatened by a gasoline pipeline spill in Alabama, and the U.S. Department of Transportation has ordered the company responsible to take corrective action before the fuel starts following again.
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The pipeline has been shut down for more than a week after a spill on September 9 released 250,000 gallons of fuel.
The Governors of Alabama and Georgia have issued a state of emergency in an effort to effectively prevent price gouging at the pumps and also to allow for additional trucks to carry fuel.
That fits with information released by AAA Friday and action by Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal in response to the leak in the Colonial Pipeline discovered in Alabama on September 9. It’s unclear when the spill began.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Colonial Pipeline, the Alpharetta-based company that operates the pipeline, said it expects to restart the broken line next week.
Alabama-based Colonial Pipeline said Friday afternoon said excavation operations to fix the line will continue this week, with the line is not expected to restart until at least next week.
Colonial earlier said most of the leaked gasoline is contained in a retention pond and there’s no public safety concern.
“Based on current projections and consultations with industry partners, parts of Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, and SC will be the first markets to be impacted by any potential disruption in supply”. In Tennessee, Gov. Bill Haslam issued a similar order to prevent gas shortage. This kind of longer shift for fuel truck drivers is prohibited by the U.S. Department of Transportation except during emergencies.
Motorists could pay more for gasoline in coming days, although experts say any spike in service-station prices should only be temporary.
“We are confident these measures will help ensure Georgians’ uninterrupted access to motor fuel until Alabama’s pipeline is fixed”, Deal said in a statement. This flexibility allows truck drivers to alleviate potential supply shortages caused by the temporary shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline. It is likely, he says, that there will be some gas stations that will not receive deliveries.
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“Tennessee’s consumers need to maintain their normal driving and fuel buying habits”. That requirement of the Clean Air Act expired at midnight Thursday.
