AOPL: Association of Oil Pipe Lines

Pipelines of the US

America depends on pipelines to meet its growing energy needs. Approximately 165,000 miles of oil pipelines span the country-enough to circle the earth about eight times. Pipelines operate in all 50 states and transport two-thirds of the fuel needed by cars, trucks, ships and planes. Pipelines bring important petroleum products to America's communities, including all grades of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, home heating oil, kerosene and propane.

Hurricane Season is Here

With the start of the 2010 hurricane season AOPL members work to improve preparedness for hurricanes as well as other natural or manmade disasters.  Despite sustaining damage and supply outages during the 2005 and 2008 hurricanes, the industry quickly and safely brought pipeline operations back online.  Pipeline operations can be impacted by storms, primarily through power outages, but also by direct damage.  Without power, crude oil and petroleum products cannot be moved through pipelines.

To prepare for future storms pipeline operators have worked with utilities to clarify priorities for electric power restoration critical to restarting operations and to help minimize significant disruptions to fuel distribution and delivery.  Operators are working with federal, state, and local government to ensure that pipelines are considered "critical" infrastructure for back-up power purposes.

AOPL members have developed emergency response and business continuity plans and work with state and local emergency offficials to make certain that employees remain safe and pipelines undamaged and ready to accept shipments after a storm.

Pipeline operators are in frequent contact with government agencies and report updates on the status of operations.  They also provide AOPL with information for the Oil Pipeline Status Report, which will be updated daily and available on the AOPL homepage during major events.