Officials are trying to stop a spill of roughly 250,000 gallons that was discovered in rural Alabama.
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Gas stations in Tennessee, Georgia and other Southeastern states have had to turn to truck delivery of fuel since the Colonial Pipeline shut down its main delivery artery last week after a pipeline spill was detected on September 9.
The shortage is blamed on a pipeline rupture and leak of at least 252,000 gallons (954,000 liters) of gas in Alabama. It is unclear when construction will be completed but the company has previously said it anticipates reopening the line, which can carry up to 1.2 million barrels of gasoline a day, later this week. A number of service stations in Metro-Atlanta and north Georgia had run out of gas. She said she was on empty, “so I’m going to have to figure something out”. The company doesn’t know when the spill started.
Crews must also test and analyze the failed section of pipe, according to the U.S. Transportation Department.
A pipeline company 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.
Gas prices have been slowly climbing all weekend after a leak in the Colonial Pipeline leaked about 8,000 barrels of gasoline Friday, Sept. 9. Its statement Monday did not say when that temporary pipeline is expected to be up and running.
According to the AAA Fuel Gauge Survey, the statewide average gasoline price in Georgia jumped from $2.19 a gallon on Saturday to $2.31 today. The average price in Atlanta is $2.46 a gallon, up from $2.17 a week ago.
DeHaan said prices at non-branded chains were rising more quickly than those with larger, branded operations, because larger regional gasoline companies have the ability to tap supply more quickly. “Minutes later, the station dropped its prices down to $2.59”.
Gas prices are up an average of 21 cents in Georgia and 13 cents in Tennessee since last weekend, according to AAA. In South Carolina, a gallon was selling for an average of $2.04. Prices in the Charlotte area are up 16 cents a gallon in the last seven days.
Local media reports have shown gasoline lines forming across the U.S. Southeast due to the shutdown and analysts believe that retail prices could be affected for more than two weeks.
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal issued an executive order Monday aimed at preventing price gouging.
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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 into Georgia.
