Colonial Press Release

As Precautionary and Routine Safety Measure, Colonial Pipeline Temporarily Shuts Down Line 1 And 2 Following Landfall of Hurricane Ida — Fuel Supply Continues to be Available

Update: Sunday, August 29, 2021 — 3:30 p.m. EST


As a precautionary and routine safety measure, following the landfall of Hurricane Ida on Sunday afternoon, August 29, Colonial Pipeline temporarily shutdown Lines 1 and 2, from Houston to Greensboro, N.C.

Fuel supply continues to be available throughout the southeast from the numerous terminals located along the supply route. Lines 3 and 4, which service the northeast from Greensboro to Linden, N.J., continue to operate as normal. Colonial expects operations to resume full service following evaluation of infrastructure and successful execution of the company’s startup plan.

Our thoughts and prayers are with our neighbors and colleagues across the southern coastline impacted by this extreme weather event,” said Wes Dunbar, vice president of operations for Colonial Pipeline. As part of our weather preparedness and response plans, we have procedures in place to ensure the safety, protection and integrity of our pipeline and our assets – including proactively shutting down our lines when necessary.”

Colonial Pipeline has an extensive emergency preparedness program in place and proactively implements measures to ensure the continued safe and reliable operation in the event of hurricanes. In preparation for Hurricane Ida, the company implemented its emergency response plan, which prioritizes the safety of people and the continued safe operation of the pipeline. Some of those preparations included:

  • Reviewing hurricane preparedness plans and updating as appropriate.
  • Ensuring emergency response equipment is inventoried and in top working condition. 
  • Placing additional equipment at appropriate facilities to support storm response.
  • Reviewing and updating contracts with vendors and other special services.
  • Monitoring multiple forecasting systems to ensure any response effort is well prepared.

We know that millions of Americans, along with our customers and other businesses, benefit from our system for critical fuel supplies at times like these,” added Dunbar. ​“We try to be as prepared as possible for these types of weather events through extensive and continuous planning that prioritizes the safety of the public, our employees and contractors, and the reliable operation of our pipeline. I’m proud of the preparations by our team in advance of Ida’s landfall.” 

Colonial Media Contact:
Eric Abercrombie
[email protected]