An excessive demand in gas has seen local gas stations experience intermittent shortages across the area.
Monday morning it was reported that a pair of Exxon stations in Elizabethton were without fuel. A call placed by the Elizabethton Star to one of the stations on Broad Street indicated that there was no shortage, but rather a late arrival by fuel tankers due to the excessive hours being put in following up the leak from the Colonial Pipeline, which spans through 13 states including Tennessee, that recently occurred in Alabama.
Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) Executive Officer for External Operations Dean Flener recently went on record with the Elizabethton Star to state there’s no gas shortage within the state – but rather a high demand for gas, causing some area stations to run out more quickly than others with fuel.
A called placed to the Colonial Pipeline Company by the Elizabethton Star for information on updates on the leak was directed to the Helena response website for the leak.
In a release issued Thursday, Sept. 22, the website stated “Following the safe restart of Line 1 on September 21st, Colonial Pipeline and members of the Unified Command continue to focus on recovery efforts while ensuring the safety and protection of the public, responders and the environment. Working in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) and the Cahaba Riverkeeper, the Colonial Pipeline continues with assessment and remediation efforts at the release location and retention pond No. 2. Water quality monitoring will also continue in conjunction with EPA, ADEM and the Cahaba Riverkeeper. To date, environmental protection efforts have successfully contained the release to the immediate area of the pipeline and retention pond No. 2. Water quality monitoring results have shown no impact to Peel Creek or the Cahaba River as a result of the release.”
A leak that started nearly three weeks ago caused six different states to issue a state of emergency.
The State of Tennessee is under a State-Level 5, meaning there is no current emergency underway in the state. Gov. Bill Haslam did issue an emergency declaration for Executive Order #56 on Friday, Sept. 16, to waive the federal hours of service requirements of petroleum transporters to prevent any fuel supply disruptions for residents of the state from the Colonial Pipeline leak.
During a recent check-in with GasBuddy.com on gas prices locally, the average ranged around $2.09 in Elizabethton.