Gas Leak Cleanup Going Well, Bentley Says
Governor Robert Bentley says cleanup efforts are going well following a leaking gas pipeline discovered earlier this month south of Birmingham.
Colonial Pipeline, the company that owns and operates the gas pipeline, has deployed roughly 700 people to clean up about 300,000 gallons of gas. It spilled into a pond near Helena.
Bentley says he’s impressed with Colonial’s efforts. Still, the pipes that funnel gas from Texas to New Jersey were laid more than five decades ago and Bentley says there’s no way of ensuring a leak like this won’t happen again.
“That’s like saying is a tornado going to happen,” he says. “We don’t know that. What you have to do is you have to be as prepared as you can possibly be.”
Officials are still investigating the cause of the leak and have shut off the pipeline during cleanup. Some southeastern states served by the pipeline – such as Georgia and North and South Carolina – are seeing gas prices increase. Bentley says, even though he himself has seen a sharp increase in gas prices in Alabama, he doesn’t think price gouging is an issue in the state.
UPDATE 6:45 p.m.
AL.com reports, the leak has spread to another pond in the area.
Colonial Pipeline and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency say they are actively sampling the surface and ground water around the leak site and that the gas has not reached nearby Peel Creek, a tributary of the Cahaba River.
Review by Senate Democrats finds more unreported luxury trips by Clarence Thomas
A report by Democrats on the Judiciary Committee found additional travel taken in 2021 by Thomas but not reported on his annual financial disclosure, including trips on private jets and a yacht trip.
Where did Barry Jenkins feel safe as a kid? Atop a tree
Director Barry Jenkins is best known for films like "Moonlight" and "If Beale Street Could Talk." On Wild Card, he opens up about where he felt the safest as a kid.
Israeli strikes across Gaza kill at least 20, including five children
Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip overnight and into Sunday killed at least 20 people, including five children, Palestinian medical officials said.
I discovered one way to fight loneliness: The Germans call it a Stammtisch
Modern life can be lonely. Some are looking to an old German tradition – of drinking and conversation – to deepen connection through regular meetups.
This Christmas I’ll be grieving. Here’s how I’ll be finding joy.
Since her husband's death, newscaster Windsor Johnston has been looking for ways to recapture joy and continue her healing journey — one that's taken her to a place she'd never expected.
On tap for the holidays: A blend of multicultural drink traditions and fond memories
For this year's All Things Considered holiday cocktail interview, we visited Providencia in Washington, D.C., a bar that brings its owners' personal stories to life.
