LAS VEGAS – A leak at a fuel pipeline facility in California forced the shutdown of gasoline and diesel deliveries from the East Los Angeles area to areas including Las Vegas and Phoenix, but authorities said they believed supplies were not being made. they would be affected immediately.
Pipeline operator Kinder Morgan told The Associated Press the leak was discovered Thursday afternoon at a company station near Los Angeles and that its CALNEV and SFPP West pipelines were shut down while the Houston-based pipeline operator worked to solve the problem.
«No injuries or fires were reported as a result of this incident,» said a company statement, provided by Katherine Hill, the publicly traded company’s communications manager. She did not say how much fuel leaked or when service would be restored.
Hill did not immediately respond to emails and phone messages seeking more information.
“The appropriate regulatory agencies have been notified and an investigation will be conducted into the cause and amount of the release,” the statement said. “We are working closely with our clients on potential impacts.”
In Las Vegas, officials were «monitoring the situation, we believe we have an adequate supply and do not anticipate an immediate impact on gas availability,» according to a statement from Clark County spokesman Erik Pappa.
The county said the pipeline provides fuel storage facilities in southern Nevada with unleaded and diesel fuel. Another pipeline operated by UNEV Pipeline LLC serves the Las Vegas area from northern Utah.
Kinder Morgan’s website says its 566-mile CALNEV pipeline transports gasoline, diesel and jet fuel from Los Angeles refineries and marine terminals through parallel 14-inch and 8-inch diameter pipelines to Barstow, California, and the Las Vegas area.
Hill later said that only the larger 14-inch pipeline to Las Vegas had been closed.
Airports it serves include Nellis Air Force Base and Harry Reid International in Las Vegas and Edwards Air Force Base in California’s Mojave Desert, the company said.
Kinder Morgan’s SFPP West pipeline runs approximately 515 miles to transport petroleum products from the Los Angeles area to Colton and Imperial, California, and east to Phoenix.