NAM releases study examining benefits of crude oil pipelines

A new study from IHS Economics and commissioned by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), Washington, D.C., reveals the impact crude oil pipelines have on U.S. manufacturing growth and employment and the advancement and development potential for manufacturers if new crude oil pipelines are constructed.

According to the study, 6,805 miles of new crude oil transmission pipelines were constructed in 2015 in the U.S. at a cost of $11.57 billion. This is on top of 61,379 miles of onshore crude oil pipelines operating in the U.S. at the end of 2014.

From both construction and maintenance in 2015, crude oil pipelines supported 276,497 jobs, including 26,884 manufacturing jobs. The top employing industries for crude oil pipelines include fabricated metals, machinery, chemicals, nonmetallic minerals, and primary metals.

Crude oil pipelines contributed $31.4 billion to GDP, including $4 billion from manufacturing. At least 66 different manufacturing subsectors, out of 86 total, benefited from the construction of crude oil pipelines by $10 million or more in 2015 alone. These include iron and steel, fabricated metals, cement, machinery, and paints and coatings.

To read the full study, visit www.nam.org.