Oil Pipeline Profile
FINANCIAL
| 1960 | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating revenues, total ($ millions) | U | U | U | (R) 7,149 | 7,281 | (R) 7,711 | (R) 7,321 | (R) 7,215 | (R) 6,890 | (R) 7,220 | (R) 7,483 | (R) 7,730 | (R) 7,812 | (R) 7,704 | (R) 8,020 | 7,917 | 8,517 | 8,996 | 9,244 | 9,987 |
INVENTORY
| 1960 | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of FERC-regulated companies | 87 | 101 | 130 | 150 | 158 | 161 | 160 | U | U | 184 | U | U | U | 195 | 195 | 197 | U | U | 195 | U |
| Number of employees, pipeline companiesa | 23,100 | 17,600 | 21,300 | 18,500 | 17,100 | 15,100 | 14,500 | 14,200 | 13,800 | 13,060 | 13,230 | 13,680 | 12,360 | 12,500 | 12,840 | 13,040 | 12,770 | 13,080 | 14,220 | 15,270 |
| Miles of pipeline (statute miles)b, all lines | U | U | U | 168,364 | 158,512 | 177,224 | 169,435 | 160,176 | 157,234 | 154,361 | 152,005 | 154,877 | 149,614 | 139,901 | 142,200 | 131,348 | 140,861 | 147,235 | 146,822 | 148,622 |
| Crude lines | U | U | U | 87,853 | 82,170 | 93,943 | 89,014 | 85,953 | 74,603 | 69,323 | 68,073 | 69,663 | 69,063 | 64,336 | 65,942 | 46,234 | 47,617 | 46,658 | 50,214 | 49,585 |
| Product lines | U | U | U | 80,511 | 76,342 | 83,281 | 80,421 | 74,223 | 82,631 | 85,038 | 83,932 | 85,214 | 80,551 | 75,565 | 76,258 | 71,310 | 81,103 | 85,666 | 84,914 | 87,788 |
PERFORMANCE
| 1960 | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intercity ton-miles, total (millions) | U | U | U | 584,100 | 591,400 | 601,100 | 619,200 | 616,500 | 619,800 | 617,700 | 577,300 | 576,100 | 586,200 | 590,200 | 599,600 | 607,500 | 581,300 | 557,700 | 629,900 | U |
| Crude oil | U | U | U | 334,800 | 322,600 | 335,900 | 338,300 | 337,400 | 334,100 | 321,100 | 283,400 | 277,000 | 286,600 | 284,500 | 283,700 | 293,500 | 300,500 | 266,600 | 330,700 | U |
| Petroleum products | U | U | U | 249,300 | 268,800 | 265,200 | 280,900 | 279,100 | 285,700 | 296,600 | 293,900 | 299,100 | 299,600 | 305,700 | 315,900 | 314,000 | (R) 280,900 | 291,100 | 299,200 | U |
| Tons transported (millions) | U | U | U | 1,598.9 | U | 1,798.5 | U | U | U | U | 2,003.7 | 1,864.4 | 1,862.1 | 1,846.8 | 1,860.9 | U | U | U | U | U |
SAFETY
| 1960 | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fatalities | N | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 4 |
| Injured personsc | N | 21 | 15 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 5 | 6 | 20 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 4 |
| Incidentsd | N | 351 | 246 | 180 | 245 | 188 | 194 | 171 | 153 | 167 | 146 | 130 | (R) 460 | (R) 435 | (R) 377 | (R) 369 | (R) 354 | (R) 331 | (R) 376 | 338 |
KEY: FERC = Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; N = data do not exist; R = revised; U = data are unavailable.
a Includes companies whose pipelines carry crude petroleum, petroleum products, and nonpetroleum pipeline liquids.
b Mileages of oil pipeline for years 1960-2000 include regulated and unregulated trunk and gathering crude lines, as well as refined oil trunk lines. Beginning in 2001, data include information for FERC-regulated oil pipeline companies only. For years 2005 and after, total miles of pipeline include both trunk and gathering lines, whereas the individual components, namely, crude and product lines, include the mileages of trunk lines only. Thus, details do not add to the total for this period.
c Injured persons does not include the 1,851 injuries that required medical treatment, caused by severe flooding near Houston, Texas, reported for October, 1994.
d The reporting criteria changed in 2002 adding small spills down to 5 gallons. The change was instituted on Feb. 7, 2002. For continuity with past trending, the data from post-2/7/2002 accidents used in the statistical summary includes only accidents meeting the reporting criteria: Accidents with gross loss greater than or equal to 50 barrels; those involving any fatality or injury; fire/explosion not intentionally set; Highly Volatile Liquid releases with gross loss of 5 or more barrels; or those involving total costs greater than or equal to $50,000.
NOTES
The Interstate Commerce Committee regulated oil pipelines in the 1960s and 1970s.
Data for Operating revenue are only for FERC-regulated oil pipeline.
SOURCES
Financial:
Operating revenues, total:
PennWell Corporation, Oil and Gas Journal: Transportation Special Report (Houston, TX: September 2000 and November 2010 Issues), pp. 74 and 106.
Inventory:
Number of FERC-regulated companies:
1960-96: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, personal communication.
1999: Ibid., available at www.ferc.fed.us/oil/oil_list.htm as of June 21, 2001.
2003: Ibid., available at www.ferc.gov/industries/oil/gen-info/reg-central.asp as of Aug. 26, 2004.
2004: Ibid., available at www.ferc.gov/industries/oil/gen-info/reg-central.asp as of Mar. 16, 2005.
2005: Ibid., available at www.ferc.gov/industries/oil/gen-info/reg-central.asp as of Oct. 27, 2006.
2008: Ibid., available at www.ferc.gov/industries/oil/gen-info/reg-central.asp as of Mar. 09, 2010.
Number of employees, pipeline companies:
1960-80: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment, Hours and Earnings, United States, 1909-94 (Washington, DC: September 1994), SIC 46.
1990-94: Ibid., Hours and Earnings, United States, 1988-1996 (Washington, DC: July 1996), SIC 46.
1995-98: Ibid., SIC 46, available at www.bls.gov as of Apr. 19, 1999.
1999-2001: Ibid., SIC 46, available at http://www.bls.gov/oes/oes_doc.htm, as of Feb. 22, 2010.
2002-09: Ibid, Occupational Employment Statistics, NAICS 486100 and 486900, available at http://www.bls.gov/oes/oes_doc.htm, as of Aug. 11, 2011.
Miles of pipeline (statute miles), all lines:
1990-2004: Eno Transportation Foundation, Inc., Transportation In America 2007 (Washington, DC: 2007), p. 42.
2005-09: PennWell Corporation, Oil and Gas Journal: Transportation Special Report (Houston, TX), p. 76 and similar table in earlier editions.
Performance:
Intercity ton-miles:
Association of Oil Pipe Lines, Shifts in Petroleum Transportation (Washington, DC: January 2011), tables 1, 2 and 3, available at http://www.aopl.org/publications/ as of Aug. 12, 2011.
Tons transported:
1990-2004: Eno Transportation Foundation, Inc., Transportation In America 2007 (Washington, DC: 2007), p. 60.
Safety:
1970 and 1980: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Special Programs Administration, Office of Pipeline Safety, personal communication.
1990-2009: U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Office of Pipeline Safety, Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Operators Accident Summary Statistics (Annual Issues), available at http://ops.dot.gov/stats/lq_sum.htm as of Aug. 12, 2011.