Bentley declares state of emergency after Colonial Pipeline gas leak in Shelby County

by **GypZ** Sat Sep 17, 2016 5:02 pm

http://wiat.com/2016/09/14/6000-barrels-of-gasoline-released-in-shelby-county-colonial-pipeline-leak/
[size=36]Bentley declares state of emergency after Colonial Pipeline gas leak in Shelby CountyHELENA, Ala. (WIAT) — UPDATE SEPT. 16, 2016: Colonial Pipeline says they have started to dig up the pipeline that leaked around 250,000 gallons of gas; anywhere from 6,000 to 8,000 barrels.Colonial says they are moving gas to a secondary line to ease the impact of the shut down. We spoke to AAA, who said gas prices could rise, but they don’t expect a major increase, likely around 5 to 10 cents in the near future.[/size]
Colonial Friday afternoon released an update, saying the gasoline remains contained in the mining pond, and they are making efforts to mitigate the impact of the service interruption to Line 1.
Click here for more information from the Colonial Pipeline press release.
UPDATE SEPT. 15, 2016: Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has declared a state of emergency granting a USDOT waiver.
Colonial Pipeline issued an update Thursday, saying weather caused a delay in overnight work activity, causing gasoline vapors to settle over the site, which has in turn forced the company to revise the projected restart of Line 1 for next week.
“Based on current projections and consultations with industrry partners, parts of Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina will be the first markets to be impacted by any potential disruption in supply,” Colonial said in a press release.
Rohen Porbanderwala, who owns five gas stations in Alabama, said he and other station owners received calls Friday from fuel suppliers that they could run out of certain grades of gasoline.
Porbanderwala wasn’t sure which grades would be impacted, but he expects gas prices to rise — just by a few cents — in the next several days.“There’s nothing to panic about. Everyone’s just keeping their eyes open,” he said.

ORIGINAL: An estimated 6,000 barrels of gasoline has flowed into rural Shelby County near Helena after a pipeline leak was discovered on Sept. 9.
Colonial Pipeline says a mining employee smelled a fuel odor on mining property, and alerted the company, which operates two pipelines in the vicinity.
Both pipelines were shut down until workers were able to determine that the leak was coming from one pipeline. The company says an estimated 6,000 barrels of gas discharged from the pipeline, and has been contained in a nearby mine water retention pond.
According to Colonial Pipeline, a Georgia based company that operates 5,500 miles of pipeline from Houston to the New York harbor, there is no threat to public health or safety. The federal government has restricted the airspace above the site of the leak for the safety of responders and the public.
About 500 employees and contractors are working to respond to the release, which has prompted closure of a nearby shooting range.
Colonial says after ensuring the safety of workers, minimizing and preventing environmental impact is a primary objective of their response. Tri-State Bird and Rescue, Alabama Fish & Wildlife and the Cahaba Riverkeeper are all involved.
Skimming operations are ongoing to remove the gasoline from the mine water retention pond. Underflow dams and booms have been put in place as a contingency to prevent the gasoline from entering a dry creek bed that connects from the pond to Peel Creek.
You can find more information here.ALABAMA PIPELINE LEAK!

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