The Colonial Pipeline Company says it expects to have the damaged pipeline up and running again by Sunday afternoon, reducing fears of a possible gas shortage and price increases at the pump.
The pipeline exploded and erupted into flames on Monday while a crew was making repairs related to a September gas spill. One environmentalist likened the scene to a "geyser of fire." One worker died in the incident, and four others were injured.
The explosion also heightened fears of price hikes at the pump similar to those seen in September when the pipeline shut down following a massive spill. Much of the southeastern U.S. receives gasoline from the Colonial pipeline. North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory said it supplies 70 percent of the state's gas supplies.
President Obama Will Campaign For Clinton In Charlotte
Evening traffic in northeast Charlotte may be more congested than usual as President Obama makes his way the PNC Music Pavilion for a campaign event tonight. The president is expected to speak on behalf of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton around 6 p.m., though organizers have said the president may not arrive until around 6:45 p.m.
Obama's visit comes amid a flurry of campaign events in North Carolina planned in the days leading up the election. Republican nominee Donald Trump will be in Wilmington tomorrow, and in Raleigh on Monday.
NC Legislator Publicly Comes Out As Bisexual
A Democratic representative in the North Carolina House has publicly come out as bisexual. Representative Cecil Brockman of Guilford County made that announcement through an interview with the News and Record of Greensboro, published today.
Brockman is a first-term legislator who faces no opposition next week for a second two-year term. He becomes North Carolina's second openly-LGBT person in the legislature. The only one openly gay legislator is Democratic representative Chris Sgro, also from Guilford County, who is stepping down at the end of the year.
