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FACT BRIEF

Was the scope of the Colonial Pipeline shutdown somehow related to whether states are red or blue?

By Dana Ford
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NO

There's no connection between the shutdown and whether affected states are Democratic or Republican. The Colonial Pipeline system spans more than 5,500 miles between Texas and New Jersey, an area that includes states of both political persuasions.

In May 2021, the pipeline was shut down for six days because of a ransomware attack, restarting operations on May 12.

A social media post using an outdated map of red and blue states implied there was a connection between states' political leanings and whether the state was affected by the shutdown.

There's no evidence that states' political persuasions would have any influence on which states were affected, or that the shutdown was purposefully targeting particular states.

Both red and blue states were affected by the shutdown.

See a full discussion of this at Lead Stories
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
CNN Colonial Pipeline launches restart after six-day shutdown
Colonial Pipeline System Map
France 24 2020 AP General Election Results Map
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.