The Northwest’s primary oil pipeline has shut down for the second time in a week, this time leading Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson to declare an emergency.
The governor said Seattle-Tacoma International Airport could run low on jet fuel by Saturday evening.
For the next 14 days, Ferguson’s emergency proclamation allows fuel-truck drivers serving the airport to work longer hours than safety requirements usually allow.
Energy giant BP closed off the Olympic Pipeline again on Monday after finding diesel leaking where workers were responding to a previous jet fuel spill.
An undisclosed amount of jet fuel spilled into a drainage ditch on a blueberry farm near Everett on Nov. 11, leading to a pipeline shutdown for several days.
RELATED: Jet fuel spill shuts down Northwest’s main oil pipeline
BP restarted the pipeline on Sunday and delivered jet fuel to Sea-Tac Airport before shutting down again a day later.
In a statement, BP spokesperson Cesar Rodriguez said there is no timeline for re-starting the pipeline.
Rodriguez declined to answer questions.
“There are no impacts to flights at this time,” airport spokesperson Perry Cooper said in an email on Wednesday.
Cooper said the airport’s most recent delivery of jet fuel arrived on Monday and encouraged passengers to check with their airlines on the status of their flights.
“We are preparing contingency plans, which include fuel management strategies such as tankering in fuel on inbound flights to Seattle, assessing tech stop options along certain routes to conserve fuel, and maintaining and expanding our trucking operation to bring in additional fuel supply,” Alaska Airlines spokesperson Tricia Bruckbauer said in an email.
Sea-Tac Airport dispenses more than 600 million gallons of jet fuel annually, making the airport responsible for up to 25% of all climate-harming emissions from King County, according to the county’s 2022 greenhouse gas inventory.
The 400-mile Olympic Pipeline carries diesel, gas, and jet fuel from four Puget Sound oil refineries to customers in Washington and Oregon.
