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.
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un ready to talk if U.S. drops denuclearization demand
Kim told North Korea's legislature he's ready to resume talks, adding he had "good memories" of President Trump, despite ongoing tension over Washington's denuclearization stance.
What to know as U.N. General Assembly opens, marking 80 years, tackling deep crises
This year the United Nations is marking its 80th anniversary, but diplomats don't have much to celebrate.
This small Virginia island could be underwater before the next century
Tangier Island in Virginia — one of the last inhabited islands in the Chesapeake Bay — is under threat from rising sea levels and climate change.
Beauty and health gurus love it. Do claims about sea moss sink or swim?
It grows in the ocean and wellness influences claim it can boost gut health, reduce anxiety and give you glowing skin. Sea moss is the latest social media superfood. Is there evidence that it works?
After Charlie Kirk’s murder, some Republicans talk revival as others seek retribution
Some Republicans have used Charlie Kirk's killing as a call to spiritual revival. Others, including President Trump, have used it to escalate attacks on the left.
Colleges pull back as Trump cuts programs that help migrant students
Since 1972, the CAMP program has helped tens of thousands of migrant students succeed in college. The Trump administration has cut off funding for it, forcing some colleges to reduce or eliminate services.
