Some observers have suggested that, when it comes to aging infrastructure, the US oil and gas industry suffers from an “out of sight, out of mind” mentality. Critics point to old buried pipelines, some dating from the 1930s and earlier but still in service. Not only are those pipelines invisible to the eye, they say, but the lack of government oversight regarding aging pipes means they’re often overlooked. As a result, they don’t receive maintenance necessary to keep them running safely. Catastrophic incidents – including fatal explosions – have occurred.
