These pipes, pipelines, crisscross underneath our cities and our countryside. They're everywhere, 2.5 million miles, maybe more. Yet most of the time we're not even aware that they are there or have been there for 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 years or more recently. They deliver the critical fuel that powers our homes, our factories, and offices. And they also transport the oil and gas that keep our cars, trucks, and planes operating. They are the critical conduit between the shale gas development boom in our region and the rest of the country. Most days the network of pipelines operates across the country without a hitch, but the incident in Sissonville was a startling reminder of the destruction that can occur when a pipeline does in fact rupture, explode. Houses were destroyed and portions of the nearby interstate were literally dismantled, disintegrated by the overwhelming heat of the flames from the ruptured pipeline.