Harvey shuts down major pipeline supplying fuel to East Coast

A major pipeline that transports fuel between Houston and the East Coast is being shut down in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, according to multiple reports.

The Colonial Pipeline’s operator said on Wednesday that the pipeline, which moves over 100 million gallons of heating oil, gasoline and aviation fuel to the East Coast daily, would be fully shut down on Thursday. 

The pipeline was already running in a limited capacity in the wake of Harvey, which made landfall in Texas on Friday as a category 4 hurricane. 

{mosads}The action comes as Harvey, which has been downgraded to a tropical depression, pulls away from southeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana. 

Twenty-six of the pipeline’s supply refineries are located between Houston and Lake Charles, La., according to CNN, which were directly hit by the storm. 

Harvey’s impact on oil refineries is expected to affect consumers, at least temporarily, at the gas pump. 

Reuters reported that two East Coast refineries have already run out of gasoline for immediate delivery. 

Harvey has dumped more than 50 inches of rain on Houston, leading to catastrophic flooding, according to The Washington Post. 

Two explosions were reported at a flooded chemical plant near Houston on Thursday morning, but officials are now backing away from those reports.