Alabama Fuel Pipeline Spill Causes Gas Shortage Concerns

A leak in Alabama has closed a gas pipeline that delivers fuel from the Gulf Coast to locations in the Southeast and the Eastern seaboard, leading to a state of emergency in several states and causing headaches for consumers as fears of gas shortages persist.

A state of emergency has been declared in Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama and Georgia. Authorities launched a response effort after discovering that fuel from the line, operated by Colonial Pipeline, had leaked into a nearby pond in Shelby County, Alabama, on Sept. 9.

According to the latest statement issued by the company Sept. 17, officials began excavation operations to repair the impacted section on the pipeline and work is expected to continue over the weekend. The company expects the line to be fully restored by next week.

The company has said it is shipping gas on its secondary line to mitigate the service interruption. Engineers with the company are also exploring alternatives, including building a temporary segment of pipeline around the leak site to allow the line to return to service as rapidly and safely as possible. In Georgia, Gov. Nathan Deal signed an order that temporarily allows truckers to stay on the road longer to bring more fuel into Georgia. The order stipulates that no fatigued driver should be required to work. In Tennessee, Gov. Bill Haslam issued a similar order to prevent gas shortage.

The company said shipping gasoline on the secondary line has "allowed all origins and delivery markets to be served along the entire system, albeit in a more reduced capacity."

As of Friday, approximately 230,000 gallons of gasoline and water have been recovered. The service interruption will likely have an impact on gas prices. GasBuddy analyst Patrick DeHaan predicts that prices may rise 20 to 40 cents in Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and South Carolina. DeHaan also predicts that prices may rise between 5 and 15 cents in New England.

On Friday, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said it had conducted an investigation and has issued a corrective action order to Colonial Pipeline. The agency said it would require the pipeline to complete several requirements before allowing it to start operating again. The cause of the spill is not known.

Colonial Pipeline delivers more than 100 million gallons of refined products each day to markets between Houston and New York City, serving more than 50 million people, according to information from the company.

Patch will update this report.

Image courtesy Colonial Pipeline