Colonial Pipeline Will Build A 'Bypass' Around Alabama Leak

HELENA, AL — Work will begin soon on a temporary bypass of the leak on the major fuel pipeline that has caused a supply crunch and price increases on gasoline throughout the southeast.

Colonial Pipeline Company announced late Saturday it has received the necessary approvals from federal regulators to build a "bypass line" around the leak in rural central Alabama on Line 1, the major fuel supply artery for the east coast.

The company did not say how long construction of the bypass would take, nor did it predict to what degree it would ease supply concerns in areas that rely on Line 1 for gasoline. Line 1 supplies about 40 percent of the gasoline used in the eastern United States, moving fuel from Gulf Coast refineries to shipping points as far north as New York City. Gas stations throughout the south are already out of fuel. In the Nashville area, the average price of fuel in the stations that are supplied has jumped 30 cents since Thursday night.

More pipeline leak coverage from Patch:

• Which Nashville-Area Gas Stations Are Out of Fuel?
  
• Alabama Fuel Pipeline Leak Causes Headaches For Tennesseans As Gov. Declares State of Emergency

Also Saturday, the Environmental Protection Agency issued waivers for Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and the District of Columbia for some requirements of the Clean Air Act. The waivers will allow the sale of certain typically prohibited blends of gasoline.

Colonial estimates between 252,000 gallons and 336,000 gallons of fuel leaked in the spill, which was discovered Sept. 9, though it is unclear when the spill began. The company says it has more than 700 employees in the area working to repair the leak and mitigate environmental damage.

Image via Colonial Pipeline Company