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Millions of people all across the country share the same neighbor. This neighbor does not intrude where it’s not wanted and simply goes about its business helping all of us every day.
Pipelines are the energy lifelines of many of our daily activities, from driving our children to school and heating our homes, to buying groceries at the store delivered by trucks that run on diesel.
The U.S. has the largest network of energy pipelines of any nation in the world. There are more than 200,000 miles of oil pipelines and 300,000 miles of natural gas pipelines all across the country. These lines are tucked under our streets, through neighborhoods and communities, and traveling below farmland, forests and deserts. Since Americans consume more than 700 million gallons of petroleum products per day, pipelines are an essential component of our nation’s infrastructure. Without them our roads and highways would be overrun with trucks trying to meet this demand. According to National Transportation Safety Board statistics, pipelines are the safest, most reliable manner for transporting crude oil and other liquid petroleum products. Pipeline owners and operators are ever mindful of the safety of those around them and they strictly follow proven safety procedures.
Many pipeline companies regularly inspect their rights-of-way using air, foot or vehicle patrols. These trained inspectors look for potential danger to pipelines such as construction activity or signs of gas or liquid leaks. These inspections along their pipeline routes are to ensure the security and integrity.
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2024, Issue 1 Tennessee811 • 11