Nevada governor declares state of emergency over fuel pipeline leak
Feb 11, 2023, 12:00 PM
NORTH LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 14: Clark County Sheriff and Republican Nevada Gov.-elect Joe Lombardo gives victory remarks at his alma mater, Rancho High School, on November 14, 2022 in North Las Vegas, Nevada. On November 11th, Lombardo was declared the winner of his tightly contested race against Democratic incumbent Gov. Steve Sisolak. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
(CNN) — Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency overnight after a leak in a California gas pipeline that supplies unleaded and diesel fuel to storage facilities in southern Nevada.
The declaration will enable the state to receive federal resources and waivers as it deals with the Kinder Morgan pipeline repair timeline and find alternative fuel sources.
“As we continue to monitor this dynamic situation, our office will remain in constant communication with Kinder Morgan, the Nevada Division of Emergency Management, and Clark County officials,” Lombardo said.
Lombardo has also urged people in Las Vegas not to panic buy while they await updates on the repair.
“Clark County is in regular communication with Kinder Morgan and they are working as quickly as possible to repair the leak. This declaration allows for our region to leave no stone unturned as we seek to continue to provide unleaded and diesel fuel to our residents as well as our emergency response providers,” the county said in a statement.
No injuries or fire were reported from the leak, a Kinder Morgan spokeswoman told CNN.
“At approximately 4 p.m. Pacific Time Thursday, Kinder Morgan began investigating a release inside its Watson Station in Long Beach, California,” said Katherine Hill.
The pipelines in-valves “have been isolated and shut down while we work to resolve this issue,” said a company statement.
“The appropriate regulatory agencies have been notified, and an investigation into the cause and quantity of the release will be conducted. We are working closely with our customers on potential impacts,” said the statement.
Kinder Morgan is “one of the largest energy infrastructure companies in North America,” according to its website.
“Kinder Morgan operates approximately 3,000 miles of refined products pipeline that serves Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington and Texas,” the company says.
