Who Operates the Nation's Pipelines?

The network of oil and natural gas pipelines that serve the U.S. is not a single entity.

Some large oil companies like Shell, BP and ExxonMobil operate pipeline systems that serve large regions of the country or move petroleum from one region to another.

Another larger group of pipeline systems are owned and operated by companies who are only pipeline operators and who are not involved in other aspects of the oil industry.

There are also those companies, like a power plant or a chemical plant, who may operate a small pipeline system to bring fuel to the plant or to move feedstocks from one plant to another.

Natural gas pipelines run the gamut from large, regional companies to small, municipal gas systems and everything in between.

To learn more about how pipelines are operated and monitored, visit the Operating Pipelines section.