Emergency declared in Washington to maintain fuel supply at Seattle airport

Washington state's governor declared an emergency on Wednesday to ensure enough jet fuel gets to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport after a leak shut down a major fuel pipeline.

The order temporarily waives and suspends state regulations limiting the number of hours commercial vehicle operators can drive when transporting jet fuel, Gov. Bob Ferguson's office said in a news release. The proclamation ensures safe-driving measures are in place, the release said.

The Olympic Pipeline was shut down on Nov. 11 because of a leak north of Seattle, between the cities of Everett and Snohomish. Operators notified the state of the leak and were working with state and federal agencies to contain, clean and repair it, the governor's office said.

There was no estimate for when the pipeline would resume delivering fuel normally. But if it doesn't start back up by Saturday, the governor's office said airport operations would be significantly affected." The office did not share details on what that impact would look like.

The airport has limited fuel on hand to sustain operations, the governor's office said, and since last week, airport officials have told incoming flights to fuel up to capacity before arriving because of the pipeline shutdown.

The 400-mile-long (644-kilometre-long) Olympic Pipeline is operated by BP Pipelines North America, Inc. It carries gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other petroleum products from refineries in northwest Washington to points in Washington and Oregon. It is the primary way petroleum is delivered to fuel distribution terminals in the Pacific Northwest west of the Cascades.