Several years into the nationwide increase in shale development, our work increasingly focuses on the infrastructure used to process, transport, and deliver oil, gas, and related products. In this context, we believe that oil and gas operators that profit from the movement of their products must be held accountable for any accidents, pollution, and harm to property and people that occur as a result.
It is particularly important to strengthen oversight, reporting, and regulations related to the estimated 240,000 miles of gathering lines nationwide, only a small percentage of which are currently regulated. As gas separation and processing facilities expand, operators are installing more and more gathering lines to move gas from well sites— many of which are as large as pipelines and operate at equal or even higher pressures.
