At Least 6 States Facing Possible Gas Shortages After Colonial Pipeline Spill

iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Six states — Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and North Carolina — are facing possible gas shortages after a pipeline spill, officials said.

The states have all declared states of emergency, citing concerns about “fuel supply disruptions” and “disruptions of gasoline” in the wake of the Colonial Pipeline spill.

The governor of North Carolina declared the state of emergency to “help ensure that there will be adequate supplies of fuel across the state and prevent excessive fuel pricing.”

On Sept. 9, gasoline was discharged from an underground 36-inch pipeline near Birmingham, Ala. and leaked into a nearby pond. The pipeline was shut down after the discovery of the leak.

Approximately 230,000 of gasoline and water have been recovered as of Friday afternoon, but the presence of explosive vapors is making the cleanup difficult.

“Recovery efforts are continuing 24 hours a day focusing on remediation of contamination and restoration of pipeline services,” the Environmental Protection Agency said in a statement.

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