The Olympic Pipeline (OPL), which supplies all of western Washington and most of Oregon, was shut down for seventeen days after a leak was discovered near Everett, Washington, on November 11, 2025. The shutdown significantly impacted jet fuel supplies to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), which receives all of its jet fuel supply via the Olympic Pipeline.
Governor Bob Ferguson issued an emergency declaration to ensure adequate fuel supplies were provided to the airport, and Governor Tina Kotek issued an emergency declaration to maintain adequate fuel supply in within Oregon. A temporary waiver of hours-of-service requirements for fuel delivery trucks was also issued, allowing increased fuel delivery volumes to the airport by truck until repairs are made and the pipeline was restored.
The response to the fuel emergency required extensive coordination among state agencies and external partners. Within Oregon, this included the Governor’s Office, the Oregon Department of Emergency Management, the Oregon Department of Energy, the Oregon Department of Transportation, and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, as well as private-sector partners such as the Oregon Fuels Association, the Olympic Pipeline Company, and other fuel providers. Within Washington, the Washington Department of Commerce worked with the refineries, the Washington Oil Marketers Association, and the Washington Trucking Association to meet airport fuel needs by truck. Diesel trucks were cleaned and cleared for jet fuel transport. SEA received an average of fifty-five jet fuel deliveries by truck daily during the event. Meanwhile, the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission investigated the incident and supervised pipeline repairs while the Washington Department of Ecology worked with OPL on spill containment and cleanup.
Washington coordinated closely with Oregon throughout the disruption, maintaining situational awareness with their regional partner and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). They did so by leveraging their established network of trusted collaborators in accordance with the Western States Petroleum Shortage Response Collaborative Regional Framework. The Regional Petroleum Collaboratives, developed in the West, Midwest, Southeast, and Northeast, are state-led initiatives designed to enhance regional fuel planning and response among State Energy Offices and State Emergency Agencies through the development of catastrophic fuel response frameworks and sustained regional engagement.
The Olympic Pipeline was repaired and returned to full service on November 28. The coordinated response reflects the strength of regional collaboration and peer sharing, as well as the extensive fuel planning conducted by the Oregon Department of Energy and the Washington State Department of Commerce.
The Washington Department of Commerce State Fuel Action Plan, developed in 2023, outlines the fuel supply chain, potential hazards to fuel infrastructure, and the strategies available to the state for responding to fuel shortages or disruptions. The primary planning considerations included providing adequate fuel supplies to maintain emergency services, transportation, agriculture, and the operations of the economy to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of the residents of the State of Washington while an emergency exists
The Oregon Department of Energy developed and implements the Oregon Fuel Action Plan, which outlines a contingency plan to respond to fuel supply issues that could affect Oregon. The action plan can be scaled up or down depending on the emergency, from a shorter-term pipeline shutdown to a long-term disruption like a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake. ODOE works to coordinate fuel supplies to maintain emergency services, transportation, and the operation of the economy to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of Oregonians during an emergency.
To learn more about the Regional Petroleum Collaborative, click here.