Fuel supply in the southeast United States disrupted by pipeline leak

Repairs to Colonial Pipeline’s Line 1 pipeline remain ongoing after a leak was reported in Shelby County, Ala., on Sept. 9.

The supply interruption has had a significant impact on the gasoline supply in the southeast, creating shortages and price hikes across the region. Colonial Pipeline is currently constructing a 500-foot, above-ground bypass in order to enable products to move again as early as this week.

Colonial Pipeline’s system carries 2.5 million barrels per day across a network of 5,500 miles of pipeline, connecting 29 refineries and 267 distribution terminals. Products including gasoline, diesel, heating oil and jet fuel are transported between locations from Houston, Tex. to New York Harbor. The system is a key provider for the states of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and eastern Tennessee, owing to the fact that no refineries between Alabama and Pennsylvania produce sufficient quantities of transportation fuels to meet the region’s needs. Supplies transported to the region by pipeline are augmented by marine shipments from the U.S. Gulf Coast, as well as imported fuels.

Once service is restored on Line 1, residents will see supplies return to normal after several days after fuels moving by pipeline have traversed the region.