The company has acknowledged that between 252,000 gallons and 336,000 gallons of gasoline leaked from a pipeline near Helena, Alabama, since the spill was first detected.
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So DeHaan predicts that gas stations in Tennessee are less likely to have fuel outages – but, he says, that prices could rise 5 to 15 cents per gallon.
But it wasn’t clear Sunday how long supply disruptions or the price spike might last as commuters buckled up for the start of the work week.
The leaking pipeline normally carries 1.3 million barrels of gasoline per day from refineries in Houston to distribution centers across the Southeast and East Coast.
Facebook users reported the Kroger in Garden City, the Sam’s Club in Myrtle Beach and the BP on Sixth Avenue South in North Myrtle Beach were out of fuel, as well.
Crews are continuing work to fix the leak that provides fuel to North Carolina and other southeastern states. During emergencies, like the current situation due to the gas leak from the pipeline, “governors can suspend federal transportation regulations”. “And she couldn’t get gas until she got here”, Nipple said. “As this plan is implemented, the top priority of the unified response team remains the safety and protection of the public, responders, and the environment”. Colonial Pipeline said they are working to fix the leak and expect to have it up and running as soon as they can.
The Colonial Pipeline is the largest gasoline pipeline that transports gas to the southern and east coast regions of the United States.
“The shortage appears greater because people are filling up more often so you are certain there is a shortage because there are lines at the station but on average they are only purchasing the quarter of a tank of gas instead of three-quarters”, he said.
Colonial Pipeline Co. must conduct testing and analysis on the failed section of the pipeline that ruptured, according to the U.S. Transportation Department, which is investigating the spill in rural Alabama. The company has begun construction on a bypass line to help mitigate the problems caused by any temporary gas shortages, including shortages and price gouging.
The Alpharetta, Ga. -based Colonial said it doesn’t expect to reopen the pipeline fully until next week.
“There was not a place to get into the parking lot”, he said.
Use this map to find the cheapest gas in your community.
The Circle K gas station at 1700 Church Street in Conway was one of a few stations in the Myrtle Beach area still offering regular unleaded fuel at $1.79 a gallon on Sunday. They’re starting work on a bypass line around the leak site.
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Pump-price increases should be smaller in the Mid-Atlantic, Kloza said, because any shortfall from the shutdown of the Colonial pipeline could be made up within about 10 days by tankers arriving from Europe. News Leader 9’s Brandon Etheredge spoke with managers who confirmed that their shortage is a direct result of the Colonial Pipeline gas leak and that all of their suppliers directly pull fuels from the pipeline.
