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 leak of more than 252,000 gallons (953,000 liters) of gas in Alabama has led to gas shortages in several southern states.
In his 2:30 p.m. address to media, Bentley said he was impressed by Colonial Pipeline, and commended them for their quick and thorough response. Doing so, however, required closing the pipeline.
Governors across the South issued executive orders last week to suspend limitations on trucking hours, allowing drivers to stay on the road longer to bring fuel to gas stations.
Gas prices have already gone up in Georgia, and the same could happen in Alabama, Tennessee and the Carolinas, where states of emergency have been declared after about 250,000 gallons of oil were found leaking into a pond in Alabama.
SC saw an average price rise of almost 4 cents from Monday to Tuesday – up almost 18 cents from a week ago.
Gasoline prices are increasing across the South following a pipeline break in Alabama. He just returned from a road trip to Louisiana, where he helped people after the floods there, he said.
Alpharetta, Georgia-based Colonial has acknowledged that between 252,000 gallons (954,000 liters) and 336,000 gallons (1,272,000 liters) of gasoline leaked from a pipeline near Helena, Alabama, since the spill was first detected September 9.
The average price of regular gas in Georgia a week ago was around $2.10, AAA reported.
The report does not identify the cause of the leak.
In Georgia, Tuesday’s average price for regular gas rose about 5 cents since Monday, to an average $2.36 statewide – up almost 27 cents over the past week.
Before heading home from a Charleston getaway, the Columbia resident swung by a downtown service station on Calhoun Street to fill up his vehicle after hearing that some gas stations in the Midlands might be running short on supplies. She says that as of Monday, the pipeline company is increasing truck shipments to gasoline terminals in the northwest part of the state.
AAA Carolinas reports the average price for a gallon in North Carolina on Monday was $2.16 – up from $2.05 last week. In Charleston-North Charleston and other parts of SC, the average price was about $1.97, AAA reported. 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 impact of the interruption on the other line.
Gas prices in MS have held steady at under $2 for awhile, so news of a possible increase didn’t go over well with drivers. A gallon of regular gas in Tennessee is now $2.14, an increase of 4 cents from yesterday and 15 cents from last week.
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“There have been recent reports that wholesale and retail gas prices have substantially increased in some markets”, he said. At the Kroger Gas Station on Killian Road, the pumps were supplied Monday morning after a run on the pumps over the weekend.
