Pipeline explosion shuts NC’s primary source of fuel

RALEIGH -- State officials took steps Tuesday to try to stave off fuel shortages in North Carolina after an explosion and fire at a gasoline pipeline in Alabama, but AAA Carolinas warns that gas prices are likely to rise.

Gov. Pat McCrory said the explosion has shut down Colonial Pipeline Line 1, which he said provides about 70 percent of North Carolina’s fuel supply. Colonial Pipeline said Tuesday that it anticipates the line being out of service for the remainder of the week.

McCrory signed an executive order that temporarily suspends vehicle size and weight restrictions for trucks carrying gasoline and waives limits on the number of hours drivers of those trucks can be on the road. With the pipeline down, it’s expected that more fuel will have to arrive in the state by truck.

“The Colonial Pipeline disruption is a transportation challenge, not a production challenge,” he said.

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