Gas prices have risen across the Commonwealth, increasing by about 11 cents per gallon for regular unleaded gasoline since last week.
The American Automobile Association attributes the increase in gas prices throughout the country to Hurricane Harvey; on Monday, the national average for a gallon of gas was four cents higher.
A major supplier of petroleum products to the southeastern United States, Colonial Pipeline Company has officially announced the shutdown of a diesel and aviation fuel pipeline, as well as the potential shutdown of two commercial automotive gasoline pipelines, both of which terminate in Greensboro, N.C.
Colonial Pipeline Company, an Atlanta-based company with more than 5,500 miles of pipeline supplies more than 100 million gallons of gasoline and other petroleum products every day has announced the suspension of operations for Colonial’s Line 2 as of yesterday evening, according to a press statement from Colonial. Line 2 transports mostly diesel and aviation fuels.
The statement also announced the company’s expectation to suspend services today to Colonial’s Line 1, which transports mostly gasoline.
“Due to supply constraints caused by storm-related refinery shut-downs and the impact to Colonial’s facilities west of Lake Charles, Colonial’s Line 2, which transports primarily diesel and aviation fuels, will suspend service this evening. For the same reasons, we expect that Line 1, which transports gasoline and is currently operating at reduced rates, will suspend service tomorrow (Thursday),” according to the press statement.
The federal government has stepped in to try and mitigate the effect of the hurricane on fuel supply through emergency fuel waivers for 12 states — including Virginia — and the District of Columbia.
The emergency waivers remove “requirements for reformulated gasoline and low volatility gasoline,” according to the EPA.
“As a result of the continuing impacts on Gulf Coast-area refineries and disruption to the fuel distribution system caused by Hurricane Harvey, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt today exercised EPA’s emergency fuel waiver authority to help ensure an adequate supply of fuel throughout the South, Southeast and the Mid-Atlantic,” according to an EPA press release.
This article was published in partnership with Southside Daily’s sister publication, Port City Daily.
