After a leak was discovered in a pipeline that feeds Las Vegas with fuel on Friday night, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo issued a state of emergency.
As per Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, the company that controls the damaged pipeline, the incident was noticed on Thursday at a pumping station in Long Beach, California.
Statements Released to the Public
A representative of the corporation stated both the station and the pipeline have been cut off from the rest of the system.
The spokesperson added the source of the leak has been located and “restart activities are ongoing” in the statement released on Saturday.
Updated statement from Clark County.#ClarkCounty Declares Fuel Emergency.
This is in the wake of the leak in a Kinder Morgan gas pipeline in So. California. pic.twitter.com/3RUJIPTUy7
— Clark County Nevada (@ClarkCountyNV) February 11, 2023
According to comments made by spokeswoman Katherine Hill, they anticipated these pipelines would restart operations yesterday afternoon and start transferring petroleum to their various market areas later that evening.
The emergency declaration, according to officials in Clark Area, Nevada, will enable the state to ease limitations on trucks and other distribution methods, allowing more petroleum to be brought into the county.
The county officials stated in a tweet that the leak had not hindered the fuel supply, but rather the normal process by which the fuel is brought into Southern Nevada.
This was stated in reference to the fuel coming into the region. Clark County maintains open lines of communication with Kinder Morgan, which assures the county that the company is moving as swiftly as it can to fix the leak.
The officials also stated the proclamation made it possible for their area to leave no stone unturned in their efforts to continue providing unleaded, diesel gasoline to their inhabitants, as well as those who provided emergency response services to them.
Advice and Caution
Lombardo encouraged locals not to engage in panic buying since it may lead to shortages that aren’t required. However, footage shared on social media showed lines of automobiles waiting to fill up at nearby gas stations.
Kinder Morgan has successfully resumed pipeline operations.
The state of emergency will remain in effect until emergency management partners are able to confirm that fuel transportation and supply have fully returned to normal. pic.twitter.com/8j6iDBph2R
— Governor Joe Lombardo (@JosephMLombardo) February 11, 2023
After the gasoline systems were taken offline for maintenance, local officials in Nye County, Nevada, assured the county’s inhabitants on Saturday afternoon that they would soon be operational again.
According to a tweet from the county, the supply of gasoline should resume within the next few hours. Residents are being asked to postpone their gasoline purchases whenever it is feasible.
This is being asked of them by the county’s government in order to give the supply time to recover from the recent influx of panic buyers.
Kinder Morgan has also gone on record to inform impacted communities that it is currently examining the source of the leak. This is being looked into by the property officials, as well as the size of the spill.
Finally, members of the community should know the county has alerted the proper regulatory bodies.
