Colonial has also begun constructing a bypass line that will allow Line 1 to return to service. The leak of more than 252,000 gallons (953,000 liters) of gas in Alabama has led to gas shortages in Georgia and fueled fears of more widespread shortages across the Southeast.
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The Alpharetta, Georgia-based company has two main lines.
Still, some motorists discovered bone-dry pumps.
“Normally it would cost me $40 to fill her up, but today it cost $60 and I wasn’t even near empty”, he said.
The spill from the Colonial Pipeline was first detected September 9, and caused the governors of Alabama and Georgia to declare states of emergency amid fears that some pumps may run dry. The U.S. Department of Transportation is investigating.
The company said they are working to fix a break in Alabama that has led to gas shortages across the Southeast says it has worked around the clock on a plan to minimize disruptions to the region’s gas supply. “This includes trucking and barging fuel from other markets and refineries”. Its statement Monday did not say when that temporary pipeline is expected to be up and running. Through the GasBuddy.com website and the free GasBuddy mobile app, users can find and share gas prices with fellow drivers, saving big money at the pump.
Several miles away in the Birmingham suburb of Pelham, police guarded the entrance to a Colonial Pipeline terminal beside Interstate 65.
He said prices “in neighboring states and regions may also rise as gasoline supply is diverted”.
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley planned to tour the spill response center Monday afternoon.
Average retail gasoline prices in Sacramento have risen 4.2 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.67/g yesterday, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 720 gas outlets in Sacramento. SC motorists are seeing an average price of $2.04, up from last week’s average of $1.91. “Minutes later, the station dropped its prices down to $2.59”. He just returned from a road trip to Louisiana, where he helped people after the floods there, he said. But most service stations continue to sell gas and most are getting truck deliveries of fuel.
Local gas prices still average 5 cents per gallon less than the USA average and some stations report selling gas in Chattanooga as low as $1.85 per gallon.
Benchmark gasoline futures gained 9 percent in the week following the leak, although futures pared losses on Monday, falling 2 percent to $1.4318 a gallon.
Ingles Gas Express in Hiawassee turned off their price sign lights in an area where gas is becoming scarce, an employee said.
The company said on Thursday that it expects a full restart on the line sometime next week.
The order prevents gas sellers from raising gas prices higher than the percentage that they’re paying for it.
Gov. Nathan Deal issued an executive order Monday morning that prohibits price gouging.
A QuikTrip station in Smyrna with an out of gas sign.
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“These changes have allowed all origins and delivery markets to be served along the entire system, albeit in a reduced capacity”, the company said in a statement.
