RALEIGH After a Colonial Pipeline spill in Alabama last week, worries mounted that the resulting closure of the gasoline conduit would cause gasoline shortages and price hikes. The pipeline stretches from Houston to New York, passing through and serving North Carolina along the way, and provides nearly 1.3 million barrels of gasoline.While the pipeline operator is working around the clock to get back online, and diverting flows to a secondary pipeline usually used to ship diesel fuel, Gov. Pat McCrory has issued an executive order that instructs the N.C. Department of Transportation and N.C. Department of Public Safety to waive the maximum hours of service for truck drivers transporting essential fuels for a period of 30 days.The September 9 pipeline spill occurred in Shelby, Alabama, cause supply disruptions to the North East.
