Tampa, FL – A pipeline leak has led to a major problem for motorists along the eastern United States. Georgia and Tennessee are among six states that have declared a state of emergency after a leak was detected along the Colonial Pipeline. Pump prices in these states are rising, while some stations have reportedly run out of gasoline.
The Colonial Pipeline transports more than 100 million gallons of petroleum products like gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel a day, to markets between Houston and New York City.
The pipeline consists of more than 5,500 miles of underground pipe, but was shutdown after a leak was detected in Line 1 near Birmingham. Colonial Pipeline announced plans to begin construction of a temporary pipeline that would bypass the leaking section.
Colonial gave no timetable as to when that bypass line would be completed or what path it would take.
Georgia and Tennessee are among the states suffering the biggest impact from the shutdown. Compared to last week, state averages are up 16 cents in Georgia and 10 cents in Tennessee. The state average prices on Sunday were $2.26 in Georgia and $2.10 in Tennessee.
“Prices are likely to rise even further until the pipeline is fully restored,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Once repaired, prices should quickly begin to decline. Motorists are encouraged to follow their normal driving habits and to not draw abnormally large amounts of gasoline from the pump.”
The Colonial Pipeline has very little impact on gasoline supplies in Florida. Most of the gasoline in the sunshine state is shipped in by waterborne vessels from refineries in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. The state average of $2.16 is 3 cents less than last week and fractions of a penny less than this time last year.
Current and Past Price Averages
Regular Unleaded Gasoline
 |
Sunday | Saturday | Week Ago | Month Ago | One Year Ago | Two Years Ago |
| National | $2.200 | $2.190 | $2.181 | $2.135 | $2.301 | $3.364 |
| Florida | $2.157 | $2.160 | $2.188 | $2.081 | $2.160 | $3.295 |
| Georgia | $2.260 | $2.199 | $2.104 | $2.018 | $2.144 | $3.305 |
| Tennessee | $2.101 | $2.063 | $1.997 | $1.915 | $2.009 | $3.150 |
| Click here to view current gasoline price averages | ||||||
AAA updates fuel price averages daily at www.GasPrices.AAA.com. Every day up to 120,000 stations are surveyed based on credit card swipes and direct feeds in cooperation with the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS) and Wright Express for unmatched statistical reliability. All average retail prices in this report are for a gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline.
About The Auto Club Group
The Auto Club Group (ACG) is the second largest AAA club in North America. ACG and its affiliates provide membership, travel, insurance and financial services offerings to over 9 million members across eleven states and two U.S. territories including Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands; most of Illinois and Minnesota; and a portion of Indiana.
ACG belongs to the national AAA federation with more than 56 million members in the United States and Canada and whose mission includes protecting and advancing freedom of mobility and improving traffic safety.
