A leak Thursday at a pumping station in Long Beach, California owned by fuel company Kinder Morgan has since led to the shutdown of gas deliveries via two pipelines from the Los Angeles area to Las Vegas and Phoenix.
Friday night, Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency in Southern Nevada due to the impact on fuel supplies.
“To avoid any unnecessary shortages, I strongly urge all Las Vegas residents to avoid panic buying while awaiting repair timeline updates,” Gov. Lombardo tweeted. The leak occurred above ground at the Watson pumping station at around 3:51 p.m. local time, causing 205 gallons of petroleum to spill. The spill was contained, with no injuries or impact on water supplies reported, according to a report Kinder Morgan filed with California state authorities.
The two pipelines shut down are the 566 mile, 14-inch diameter CALNEV line, which goes to Barstow, California and onwards to Las Vegas, and the 515 mile SFPP West pipeline to Imperial, California and onwards to Phoenix. “We are working closely with our customers on potential impacts,” Kinder Morgan Communications Manager Katherine Hill told the Associated Press in a statement.