Updated 4 p.m.:
Fuel retailers in Tennessee are working with federal authorities on contingency plans to get gasoline to drivers. But right now, they’re only contingency plans.
A deadly explosion Monday night on the Colonial Pipeline has shut off gas to Middle Tennessee for the rest of the week.
The Tennessee Fuel and Convenience Store Association says there should be plenty of fuel available to restock pumps in the southeast, as long as drivers don’t rush the pumps.
“Our goal is to be prepared to handle the logistical challenges of bringing-in enough fuel to make-up the difference while the Colonial Pipeline 1 is closed,” said the association’s Emily LeRoy.
Updated 3 p.m.:
Colonial Pipeline says its pipeline carrying diesel and jet fuel has restarted. But its primary gas line is expected to be down the rest of the week.
The Georgia-based company is issuing periodic updates
at this website.
Colonial shut down both of its main lines after Monday’s blast in Alabama, which killed one worker and injured several others.
A leak in September led to gas shortages and rising prices across the South. At that point, Colonial rerouted gasoline through the line that usually carries diesel and jet fuel. It’s unclear whether the company plans to do that again.
Updated 11 a.m.:
The trade organization representing 2,500 Tennessee gas stations is asking drivers to “maintain their normal fuel purchasing patterns” following the pipeline explosion in Alabama.
“Fuel terminals in Nashville were at normal capacity at the time of the explosion, so fuel is readily available for consumers,” said Emily LeRoy, executive director, Tennessee Fuel and Convenience Store Association. “Wholesalers and retailers have contingency plans and are prepared to transport fuel from alternate locations if that becomes necessary.”
LeRoy says gas stations can meet regular demand by trucking in fuel, but what creates a challenge is when consumers rush to fill up tanks and extra containers.
Original post:
The North Alabama gas pipeline that caused fuel shortages across the South in September, has been damaged again, this time causing a fatal accident.
An official from the Colonial Pipeline company says the line was struck by construction equipment causing an explosion that killed one worker and injured several others.
According to the Associated Press, the site of the accident was only one mile away from the September leak.
Colonial announced Tuesday morning that a portion of the pipeline has been shut down. Authorities are already warning of rising gas prices. A statement from AAA says the South was just beginning to recover from the September price hikes and says the area should expect to see prices go up again.
Colonial provides more than 70 percent of Tennessee’s gas — and almost of all of what comes into Middle Tennessee.
Monday night’s explosion also heightened fears of forest fires. In Alabama, blazes have charred more than 12,000 acres in the past 30 days due to extreme drought. Colonial crews are working to keep their blaze from spreading, erecting an 8-foot tall, 80-foot-long earthen dam.
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