For pipeline companies, the shale era brought a wealth of opportunities. As gushers of oil (CLU23) and natural gas (NGU23) suddenly erupted in places such as North Dakota and Pennsylvania, the need for a vast expansion of the "plumbing" that moves energy around the country was obvious. That's what led to a decade-plus long boom that produced thousands of miles of new pipelines.
The shale growth story is not over in the U.S. oil and gas patch, but it is slowing. And for certain, the associated pipeline building boom has pretty much run its course.
