Pipeline Capacity

摘要

The current pipeline infrastructure is not resilient enough to meet future US demand of oil and natural gas. Primarily due to shale developments, the US oil and gas markets are changing. Users are becoming more reliant on domestic pipelines for supply and less dependent on foreign imports. The plus-up of rail in transporting oil and gas has temporarily satisfied the additional capacity needs at Bakken and other new developments, but at much greater cost and less safety than pipelines afford. Additional pipelines are needed now to ensure demand is met and prices are managed. More pipelines also add resiliency to a system that suffers extreme stress from increased consumption and interruptions due to weather and mishaps. That said, we also need future investment in green energy sources of power. This vast resource can be made viable, if regulations supported by large energy companies make it profitable. With these changes, the domestic oil and gas industry will be able to take advantage of their new found source of production and meet demand in the future.