The ability to produce, refine and transport oil is essential to U.S. economic competitiveness. Following several decades of steady decline, U.S. oil production has risen sharply since 2008, presenting a remarkable opportunity to improve the nation’s energy security, support increased industrial activity and make energy more affordable for American households. However, significant infrastructure investments must be made to fully leverage the benefits and opportunities afforded by abundant domestic oil resources. Timely updates and expansions to the existing pipeline and storage infrastructure systems will be essential to ensuring that crude oil and refined products are efficiently and safely transported from new and geographically diverse production hubs to refineries along the West and Gulf Coasts, as well as to demand centers across the country. System statistics include:
- The U.S. energy industry is supported by approximately 76,000 miles of crude oil pipelines, more than one-third of which were installed before 1960.
- The United States has 141 operable petroleum refineries, with a combined crude oil distillation capacity of 18.6 million barrels per day.
- Growth in unconventional oil production has relied on expansion of the nation’s oil infrastructure system. From 2010 to 2014 U.S. crude oil pipelines expanded by 12,000 miles — the equivalent length of 12 Keystone XL pipelines.