As reported by Rebecca Maitland in a recent article:
“America has more than 2.6 million miles of pipelines that need continual maintenance, replacements and often rerouting to new markets. Today, new pipelines are continuing to be installed to meet the needs of a booming energy industry, all of which continues to create jobs.”
These jobs are created as a result of a demand for workers to manage the construction and maintenance of pipelines.
What Are The Types of Pipeline Jobs?
It is important to understand that there are different types of pipelines and consequently, different types of pipeline jobs. The various types of pipelines include small gathering lines, regional lines and transcontinental transmission lines.
The engineering, construction and maintenance of transcontinental transmission lines require several people, having different skill sets. These lines usually carry oil, natural gas, refined petroleum or CO2. Heavy equipment operators are in a lot of demand during the pipeline construction phase. While top end operators are those who maneuver pipeline excavators, low end operators are those who operate tractors and bulldozers to make way for the pipeline.
The construction manager is responsible for overseeing the construction of the pipeline and supervising employees who work on the pipeline. The construction foreman, on the other hand is responsible for hiring and training workers and reports to the construction manager.
Other pipeline jobs include lead hand, welder, pipefitter, pipeliner, crane operator, heavy duty mechanic, swamper and truck driver.
The Keystone XL Pipeline Project To Create Job Opportunities
The proposed Keystone XL Pipeline, owned by TransCanada, a Canadian corporation, is expected to link Alberta, Canada to Houston, Texas. The pipeline is intended to transport crude petroleum from the Alberta tar sands and get refined in oil refineries at Houston. The construction and maintenance of this pipeline is expected to result in an increase in the number of gas pipeline jobs for people with the requisite skills.
As Ellen R. Wald highlights in a recent Forbes article:
“Meanwhile, both the federal government and the Global Labor Institute at Cornell University’s College of Industrial and Labor Relations examined TransCanada’s application and made their own job creation estimates, at 6,000-6,500 and 2,500-4,500 respectively… TransCanada currently estimates that Keystone XL will provide 7,000 new steel manufacturing jobs.”
This article throws light on the different types of pipeline jobs and the expected increase in the number of job opportunities, due to proposed pipeline projects in America.