From Reuters:
Alabama Governor Robert Bentley on Tuesday declared a state of emergency for the state due to an explosion and fire involving Colonial Pipeline Co [COLPI.UL] in Shelby County on Monday.
“The State of Emergency is effective November 1, 2016 through December 1, 2016 unless sooner terminated,” according to a statement from the governor’s office.
The declaration will facilitate a waiver from the U.S. Department of Transportation – Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, needed to lift a federal government limitation on the hours a driver can transport gasoline, the statement added.
End of update and back to original story:
Yesterday there was a large explosion in Shelby County, Alabama due to a gas pipeline that was being worked on. (The explosion was about a mile away from the area where the Colonial gas pipeline leak happened this summer.) The seven people that were injured in the explosion were taken to Birmingham hospitals by helicopter and ambulance- there is no additional information right now. Videos shot in the area show a huge plume of flames and smoke rising in what appears to be a wooded area.
Colonial Pipeline has confirmed that in response to the explosion, they have shutdown production.
From the article:
“In September, the Colonial Pipeline leaked thousands of gallons of gas southwest of Birmingham near Helena and led to dry fuel pumps in several Southern states — for days, in some cases. There was no immediate indication whether Monday’s explosion will lead to similar shortages.
“We were just beginning to recover from the gas price hikes we saw from the pipeline closure in September,” said Garrett Townsend, Georgia Public Affairs Director for AAA. “The explosion will at least temporarily put a halt to the pump-price dip we’ve experienced over the past 30 days.”
Colonial Pipeline, the Alpharetta, Georgia based company, transports more than 100 million gallons of products daily between Houston and New York City, serving more than 50 million people.
LIVE FEED:
Source: WSB- TV
