Oregon’s governor declares emergency to ensure the state gets enough fuel after pipeline leak

Oregon’s governor declared a state of emergency Monday to ensure that enough fuel arrives to the state while the Olympic Pipeline, which supplies more than 90% of the state’s fuel, remains shut down due to a leak ahead of Thanksgiving travel.

Gov. Tina Kotek’s declaration is intended to keep enough fuel arriving to the state by ships and trucks partly by waiving certain regulations on how long commercial drivers hauling fuel can operate, according to the governor’s order.

The BP petrochemical pipeline runs from Washington into Oregon and has been shut down for a week following the first report of a leak and intermittent shutoffs earlier this month.

BP crews have excavated 200 feet (60 meters) of the 400-mile-long (644-kilometer-long) pipeline, working around the clock to discover the source of the leak that was reported outside Everett, Washington, the company said in a statement.

Oregon officials said they did not expect a fuel shortage in the state or at Portland International Airport with the emergency measures but cautioned that drivers might see an uptick in prices because of the more costly delivery methods.

In Washington, where Gov. Bob Ferguson declared a similar state of emergency last week, the shutdown is starting to slow some air travel in Seattle ahead of Thanksgiving.

On Monday, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s largest carriers, Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines, acknowledged some delays caused by the fuel shortages. Meanwhile, fuel is being brought in by tanker trucks, and airlines are directing flights to show up with extra fuel or stop afterward to top up.