Colonial Pipeline, the company working to fix a leak that led to gas shortages and higher prices for drivers across the South, says its bypass fix is complete and it expects to restart its main gasoline line Wednesday. The leak, which spilled 250,000 gallons of gasoline into a detention pond, was detected September 9.
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After a week of gas shortages and rising fuel prices across the south, North Carolinians and Southerners will soon feel relief at the pump.
North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory welcomed news that the line would likely restart on Wednesday but said it would take several days for the state’s fuel supply chain to return to normal. As of Tuesday, the cheapest regular gas around Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and southern Ocean counties was reported in Vineland, where GasBuddy found at least three stations charging about $1.79 per gallon. “‘We will continue to pull available gasoline from more distant sources until pipeline service is back to full capacity'”. Our crew was out in the Triangle Tuesday afternoon and saw long lines and gas stations without any fuel. The pipeline company has two main lines and said Monday that it is shipping “significant volumes” on the second of the two lines to limit the effect of the interruption on the other line.
A key gasoline pipeline is scheduled to reopen Wednesday that could help relieve shortages in the Southeast following a break in Alabama.
Meanwhile, there has been little, if any, impact to the national average price for gasoline.
A QuikTrip gas station pump in Duluth, Ga, is seen Monday, Sept. 19, 2016, has the store has run out of unleaded gasoline.
He said he doesn’t believe there is a danger of an extended fuel shortage, but he is concerned about possible rate hikes and what might mean for drivers.
Teal said, “Although we are a top priority to receive fuel and now have approximately two weeks supply in reserve, we need to be smart and conservative just in case”.
State Workers discovered the leak on September 9 when they noticed dead vegetation, a strong odor and a sheen over one of the ponds.
The American Automobile Association reports that in Georgia, the regular gas price rose about 5 cents from Monday to Tuesday, to an average $2.36 statewide. More than 800 personnel were on site in the restart efforts.
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The report does not identify the cause of the leak.
