Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)
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Table 1-51M. Crude Oil and Petroluem Products Transported in the United States by Mode

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  1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 1996 1997 1998
Crude Oil                
Tonne-kilometers (billions)                
Pipelinesa 420.5 529.4 488.2 488.8 490.4 493.9 492.6 487.8
Water carriers 59.3 c565.6 655.8 425.1 361.6 295.5 215.1 172.1
Motor carriersb 2.0 3.6 2.6 2.2 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.3
Railroads 2.2 0.7 1.2 1.0 1.2 1.2 0.7 0.7
Total 484.0 1099.3 1147.8 917.2 855.7 793.1 710.9 663.0
% of total                
Pipelinesa 86.9 48.2 42.5 53.3 57.3 62.3 69.3 73.6
Water carriers 12.2 51.4 57.1 46.4 42.3 37.3 30.3 26.0
Motor carriersb 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4
Railroads 0.5 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1
Refined Petroleum Products Tonne-kilometers (billions)                
Pipelinesa 319.7 329.4 335.6 364.0 387.2 410.1 407.5 417.1
Water carriers 375.8 336.4 206.1 230.4 223.7 225.0 216.5 214.8
Motor carriersb 38.3 35.5 39.3 41.2 35.9 40.9 38.0 39.0
Railroads 18.4 17.5 16.5 19.4 23.2 23.4 23.7 23.7
Total 752.2 718.7 597.6 654.9 670.0 699.3 685.6 694.5
% of total                
Pipelinesa 66.1 30.0 29.2 39.7 45.2 51.7 57.3 62.9
Water carriers 77.6 30.6 18.0 25.1 26.1 28.4 30.5 32.4
Motor carriersb 7.9 3.2 3.4 4.5 4.2 5.2 5.3 5.9
Railroads 3.8 1.6 1.4 2.1 2.7 2.9 3.3 3.6
Combined Crude and Petroleum Products Tonne-kilometers (billions)                
Pipelinesa 740.2 858.8 823.9 852.8 877.6 904.0 900.1 904.9
Water carriers 435.1 c902.0 862.0 655.5 585.3 520.5 431.6 386.9
Motor carriersb 40.3 39.1 41.9 43.4 38.4 43.4 40.4 41.3
Railroads 20.6 18.2 17.7 20.4 24.2 24.5 24.4 24.4
Total 1,236.2 1,818.1 1,745.4 1,572.1 1,525.5 1,492.4 1,396.5 1,357.5
% of total                
Pipelinesa 59.9 47.2 47.2 54.2 57.5 60.6 64.5 66.7
Water carriers 35.2 49.6 49.4 41.7 38.4 34.9 30.9 28.5
Motor carriersb 3.3 2.2 2.4 2.8 2.5 2.9 2.9 3.0
Railroads 1.7 1.0 1.0 1.3 1.6 1.6 1.8 1.8

a The amount carried by pipeline is based on ton-miles of crude and petroleum products for federally regulated pipelines (84%), plus an estimated breakdown of crude and petroleum products for the ton-miles for pipelines not federally regulated (16%).
b The amount carried by motor carriers is estimated.
c Reflects the entrance between 1975 and 1980 of the Alaska pipeline, moving crude petroluem for water transportation to U.S. refineries.

SOURCES: 1975: Association of Oil Pipe Lines, Shifts in Petroleum Transportation (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table 6. 1980-98: Ibid., Shifts in Petroleum Transportation (Washington, DC: Annual issues), tables 1, 2, and 3.



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