6/26

There's been another disruption of the Colonial Pipeline.  Depending on the damage -- unclear at this point -- this could be harder-hitting and longer-lasting than what was experienced in September. (See 9/26 post below.)

According to the Associated Press:

For the second time in two months, a pipeline that supplies gasoline to millions of people was shut down, raising the specter of another round of gas shortages and price increases. 

The disruption occurred when a track hoe — a machine used to remove dirt — struck the pipeline, ignited gasoline and caused an explosion Monday that sent flames and thick black smoke soaring over a forest in northern Alabama, Colonial Pipeline said. One worker was killed and five were injured. 

A September leak that spilled 252,000 to 336,000 gallons of gasoline occurred not far from the location of Monday's explosion. That leak led to days of dry pumps and higher gas prices in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas while repairs were made.
The cause of the leak still has not been determined, and the effects of the latest disruption weren't immediately clear. 

Colonial Pipeline, based in Alpharetta, Georgia, operates 5,599 miles of pipelines, transporting more than 100 million gallons daily of gasoline, jet fuel, home heating oil and other hazardous liquids in 13 states and the District of Columbia, according to company filings. Authorities have not said which type of fuel was involved in the explosion Monday. 

Plagued by a severe drought after weeks without rain, the section of the state where the explosion happened has been scarred by multiple wildfires in recent weeks, and crews worked to keep the blaze from spreading.

Reuters reports US gasoline futures are up eleven percent in anticipation of much tighter supplies between Atlanta and Baltimore.

Shortly before noon (CDT) on Tuesday, Colonial Pipeline reported, "Line 1, Colonial’s gasoline line, remains shut down. At this time, we anticipate Line 1 remaining down for the remainder of this week. Line 2, which transports diesel, jet fuel and other distillates, was restarted at approximately 11:00 PM CDT on October 31."

Friday, November 4 UPDATE:

The company says: "Based upon the latest information we have available, we now project a Sunday afternoon restart of Line 1."

Typically in cases like this, such projections are not made public without nearly 100 percent confidence.  If so, supplies of gasoline should remain sufficient for metro Atlanta, Charlotte, and most other locations.  There are some indications that the outcome of the September disruption may have diminished the public's tendency to hoarding behavior which is often the greatest threat to continuity of supplies.

Sunday, November 6 UPDATE:  As projected, Line 1 has been restarted.