CRISIS/PIPELINES/TEXAS: “Flooding in Texas has disrupted the flow of fuel on a major pipeline that moves gasoline, diesel and jet fuel to the East Coast.
The Colonial Pipeline said its system, which runs from Texas to New Jersey, is starting to have problems stemming from Hurricane Harvey. The notice from the company adds to concern that Houston’s hard-hit energy infrastructure could result in higher fuel prices or shortages in other parts of the country.
Service at the pipeline’s fuel loading and pumping stations in Houston, Pasadena and Cedar Bayou, Texas, have been interrupted. That doesn’t mean the entire pipeline network isn’t operating, but it does mean that less fuel is going into the pipeline Tuesday [8-29-17].
The Colonial is the biggest fuel pipeline in the U.S., stretching 5,500 miles through 12 states. Analysts have likened it to ‘a Mississippi River of fuel.’ It can transport up to 2.5 million barrels a day of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, and is directly connected to several airports, including Nashville, Charlotte and Dulles International Airport in Washington D.C…
Harvey has been downgraded from hurricane status, but the storm continues to slowly track east through Texas and into Louisiana where more refineries and vital fuel hubs that feed into the Colonial are located. Already more than 15% of U.S. refinery capacity has shut down due to the torrential rains that Harvey has dumped across Texas.”
-Lynn Cook and Dan Molinski, “East Coast May Face Fuel Shortages After Storm Disrupts Major Pipeline,” The Wall Street Journal online, Aug. 29, 2017 10:45am