By
The Associated Press
MESA, Ariz. - State officials are keeping a watchful eye on the California blackouts, hoping they won't cause interruptions in a major West Coast pipeline that pumps in a large portion of Arizona's gasoline and jet fuel.
The pipe's flow from California to Arizona was interrupted several times last week because of the blackouts that cut power at various intervals.
Gov. Jane Hull planned to meet with her staff, which met Monday with gas company and state officials.
It's "still too early to tell," how Arizona could be affected if the pipeline was shut down, said Hull spokeswoman Francie Noyes.
Gasoline companies originally feared shortages in Arizona as early as this week.
But the California Public Utilities Commission told the pipeline's owner, Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, that it can operate the pipeline for up to seven days without fear of power interruption.
Company spokesman Larry Pierce said lines ran at maximum capacity over the weekend to make up for overdue deliveries from last week's interruptions.
