The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has issued an order suspending Colonial Pipeline's proposed changes to fuel shipping terms for seven months, Reuters reported Wednesday.

Colonial Pipeline had sought the regulator's approval last month to stop shipping different grades of gasoline at the same time and to reduce the total number of grades it moves on the pipeline.

FERC accepted and suspended the revised tariff record for seven months to reflect proposed modifications, and the regulator will hold a hearing to explore the issues raised by Colonial Pipeline and fuel shippers, according to the report.

Big oil companies including Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM), Chevron (CVX) and BP (BP) had filed protest notices with FERC, saying Colonial Pipeline sought to boost its own profits while potentially harming shippers and consumers.

Colonial rejected the claims, saying the proposed changes would allow it to ship up to 10K bbl/day more gasoline on its main gasoline pipeline, which almost always runs full, benefiting both shippers and consumers.

Colonial's owners include owners - including Canadian pension fund Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, energy major Shell (SHEL), Koch Industries and investment firm KKR (KKR).