As work continues on the Colonial Pipeline, Northeast Tennessee hasn’t seen much spillover.
The pipeline, which flows through 13 states including Tennessee, recently experienced a leak that caused a worry of gas shortages across the Southeast.
Due to the leak, six states issued a state of emergency: Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. While the action is in place within the states, residents will not see a depletion of fuel, according to Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) Executive Officer for External Operations Dean Flener.
“We do want to stress that there is not a gas shortage in the state of Tennessee,” Flener said Monday.
During Monday’s phone interview with the Elizabethton Star, Flener added the state has other pipelines that are being used to fully supply gas across the Volunteer State.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam declared the state of emergency, issuing an executive order to waive federal hours of service requirements for “petroleum transporters to prevent any fuel supply disruptions for Tennesseans from the Colonial Pipeline leak in Shelby County, Ala.,” according to TEMA.
“We’ve seen an increase in fuel transporters supplying convenience stores,” Flener said, adding Gov. Haslam issued the measure to help waive any federal measures in place to make sure gas is making it to stations.
TEMA Director Patrick Sheehan also issued a statement over the weekend to address concerns of a gas shortage in Tennessee.
“We want to reassure Tennesseans there is petroleum available to meet the needs of consumers,” he said. “Gov. Haslam’s emergency declaration issued on Friday ensures the transportation and delivery of petroleum to convenience stores and retailers in Tennessee.”
Tennessee’s consumers need to maintain their normal driving and fuel buying habits. If consumers fill up unnecessarily, top off their tanks when they aren’t close to empty, and fill multiple containers at the pumps, then our petroleum retailers will not be able to keep up with the demand of the fuel supply. Even on a normal day, Tennessee’s petroleum industry as a whole would have a difficult time keeping up with the current demands being placed on Tennessee’s fuel supply.
The Colonial Pipeline is not the only supplier of petroleum to Tennessee. There are other pipelines contributing to the state’s fuel supply. Gov. Haslam’s executive order further aids in keeping fuel supplied to Tennessee as transporters have extra time to deliver to pumps. If consumers maintain their normal driving and fuel buying habits, there will be enough capacity in Tennessee’s petroleum supply system to meet our needs.
While there is not a shortage, Flener encouraged residents to be smart consumers at the pump.
“We have such a high demand for gas across the state,” he said. “We encourage people to be smart at the pump, only fill up when necessary, and use caution when filling proper containers.”
TEMA issued a press release over the weekend asking Tennesseans to only use approved, portable fuel containers and to fill it if “absolutely necessary.”
The State Fire Marshal’s Office, part of the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance (TDCI), offered a variety of tips for consumers, including:
• Use only approved portable containers for transporting or storing gasoline.
• Never fill a portable container when it is in or on the vehicle. Always place the container on the ground before filling. Fires caused by static charges have occurred when people filled portable containers in the back of pickup trucks, particularly those with plastic bed liners. Removing the container will also prevent a dangerous spill of gasoline.
• When filling a portable container, keep the nozzle in direct contact with the container. Fill it only about 95 percent full to leave room for expansion.
• Gas cans/containers should never be transported in the passenger compartment.
• Don’t smoke or use lighters while refueling.
Flener added that as of Monday, he learned that there will be a work-around in place in Alabama this week to address the leak while workers will look at continuing to get oil from the pipeline to begin the remediation process.
Gas prices in Elizabethton were right below the $2 margin, according to GasBuddy.com, prior to Monday’s press deadline.