Petroleum consumption pipelines

Natural gas resources are as much a cause of concern as petroleum. While much natural gas is still available in this country (especially in Alaska, if a pipeline can be built to access it), and significant new reserves may still be discovered, consumption already is rising rapidly. Furthermore, gas fields tend to deplete faster than oil fields, and advanced techniques such as enhanced oil recovery do not apply to gas. In addition, gas is more difficult to import from overseas. The main technique is liquefying it at very low temperatures, shipping it via insulated tanker ships, and reheating it at the port of entry, a technique which is also vulnerable... 

In fact, the production and consumption of oil and petroleum products are increasing worldwide and the threat of oil pollution is increasing accordingly. The movement of petroleum from the oil fields to the consumer involves as many as 10 to 15 transfers between many different modes of transportation including tankers, pipelines, railcars, and tank trucks. Oil is stored at transfer points and at terminals and refineries along the route. Accidents can happen during any of these transportation steps or storage times. 

Throughout all of these eras, consumption of natural gas in the United States grew rapidly, as did pipeline construction. In the first period, pipelines were financed through vertically integrated firms, and an extensive pipeline network appeared throughout the East Coast and from the major gas basins in Kansas/Oklahoma to the upper Midwest. Gas distributors and petroleum-producing companies owned both the interstate pipelines and the gas in them. In the second period, the American life insurance... 

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