Dear Action Line,
I read the articles about the pipeline spill and had a few thoughts. In La Plata County, we seem to pay more for gas. I had a thought about this, and it was something like – what, we have a gasoline pipeline? Why are we paying more than the rest of the state for gas? To ship gas over Wolf Creek or other routes seems expensive. That seems like a bigger risk. It seems we could save money by having a local company blend ethanol into the gas right off the pipeline to supply our local needs.
Signed, Gassy
Dear Gassy,
There was a time when gasoline in Durango seemed more expensive than the rest of the state, but that doesn’t appear to be true anymore. The average price on Cinco de Mayo, according to AAAA, was $4.49 nationwide, in Colorado as a whole $4.43, and in La Plata County – exactly the same at $4.43. The cheapest gas in state is on the eastern plains at a little over $4, and is most expensive in the northwest part of the state at over $4.50. So this year “Cinco de Mayo” might be considered to translate to English as “Five Dollar May” – hopefully that won’t become literally true by the end of the month.
As for how our gasoline gets here, it can be a little complicated to figure out. While there is a gasoline pipeline that runs through La Plata County, including across Florida Mesa where the leak occurred, it does not terminate around here. It is part of Enterprise Products’ Mid-America Pipeline System, which originates in Texas and transports refined gasoline through New Mexico, then northward through La Plata County, into Utah and Wyoming. Our gasoline comes by truck primarily from refineries and storage facilities in Bloomfield, New Mexico, Colorado Springs, Grand Junction, and even locations in Utah and Texas. Then it may pass through smaller local intermediate storage owned by Basin Co-Op in Durango and Arriola, or could be delivered directly to gas stations. I’ve seen nothing to indicate that a terminal for the pipeline that runs through La Plata County would be added here in the near future.
Email questions and suggestions to actionline@durangoherald.com or mail them to Action Line, The Durango Herald, 1275 Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301. Today’s Fun Fact: The name of the unincorporated community of Arriola, Colorado (northwest of Cortez), translates to English as “stoney place,” and comes from the Basque language, which is distinct from Spanish and does not derive from Latin. It is not to be confused with “areola,” which refers to a certain body part and is derived from Latin. Cahone, a community further to the northwest, gets its name from the Spanish for “little box,” referring to a nearby canyon (and is also the name for a percussion instrument that is indeed a little box), and is not to be confused with “cojones,” which again, is something else.
