Colonial Pipeline says it is constructing a temporary pipeline that will bypass a leaking section of its main gasoline pipeline in Shelby County. According to Al.com, Colonial says it could restart the pipeline through the bypass sometime this week.
Fuel supplies in at least five states — Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas — are threatened by the spill. The U.S. Department of Transportation ordered Colonial to take corrective action before fuel starts flowing again.
The company has acknowledged that up to 336,000 gallons of gasoline leaked from the pipeline near Helena since the spill was first detected September 9th. It’s unclear when the spill actually started.
The average price of a gallon of gas in the region began to tick up over the weekend. Last week, the governors of Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina declared states of emergency allowing truckers to work longer hours to avoid fuel shortages.
Some drivers in Georgia say they’ve seen gas stations which have run out gas, but Georgia’s governor’s office says they haven’t received any complaints yet.
Includes reporting from the Associated Press