The world’s oil industry continues to play an important role in the lives of many people. We all drive vehicles, we all need fuel to keep our homes warm and comfortable. Even when the prices of crude oil can be extremely unpredictable, there is a still a need for gear meters, air eliminator valves, and inline pipe strainers, as well as many other important parts. There are many Americans who are hopeful that they can turn to alternative sources of energy at some point, but the fact of the matter is there are many times when crude oil production is still very important.
Even as we see wind turbines going up across the country, it is also significant to realize that at 38% share of the pipelines that were either under construction or planned to be built worldwide in the year 2017 were located in North America. In fact, the latest statistics indicate that there are approximately 72,000 miles of crude oil lines in the U.S. that connect regional markets.
Digital Control Valves and Gear Meters Continue to Play Important Roles in the Energy That Americans Use
Although there are some lines that are as short as a mile, others may extend 1,000 miles or more. And while there are a growing number of electric cars on the road, the majority of the drivers in this country still rely on fuel to make the trips that they travel. Although there is always a good deal of press when something goes wrong, the fact of the matter is a barrel of crude oil or petroleum product shipped by pipeline reaches its destination safely more than 99.999% of the time without incident. In a country where many people spend hours a day in their cars, it is simply ridiculous to belief that we do not need to continue to develop crude oil.
Currently, it is estimated that there are approximately 2.5 million miles of pipelines to transport fuel products from source to market in the U.S. Knowing that this is the case, then, it is important to realize that there will continue to be a need for gear meters and many other kinds of drilling equipment. In fact, behind the pipelines themselves, there are entire industries that function simply to make sure that the petroleum companies have all of the parts and equipment that they need.
Even the most environmentally friendly consumers would be hard pressed to find a list of products that were not in some way connected to the petroleum industry. Even locally sourced products still have to be transported from field to market. And even farm to cone ice cream shops rely on gasoline to make sure that their products are transported to graduation and anniversary parties and celebrations.
We live in a time when there are many people who want to find a way to leave a smaller carbon footprint, but this is often easier said than done. If, for instance your teenage daughter really wants to use metal straws but has to drive to four different stores in the city to find them, she is using more gas to save on the use of future plastic. Some would see this as a bit of a conflict of interest. Understanding the interconnectedness of these things can be challenging, but it is important to realize that every action has a consequence.