Trucking Officials Fear Northeast Fuel Shortage

olonial Pipeline’s decision to delay delivery of ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel to New York until sometime in 2007 has some trucking and pipeline industry officials worried that the Northeast could experience an initial shortage of the fuel.

“When we get ULSD up to New York and the Northeast in 2007 depends on two factors — the demand for it up there and when we can complete the adjustments we have to make in our system between Northern Virginia and New York,” Colonial spokesman Steve Baker told Transport Topics June 8.

But despite Colonial’s decision, Chet France, director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s assessments and standards division, told TT that because other pipelines and refineries supply the mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions, the agency did not anticipate any ULSD supply problems in those areas.