Textual note taken from API on April 28, 2025
The American Petroleum Institute (API) announced the recipients of the 2024 API Distinguished Pipeline Safety Awards. Selected by their peers, a small, medium and large pipeline operator is recognized each year for their commitment to safety, community engagement and work to advance a zero-incident culture.
Pipelines are among the safest, most efficient methods of transporting affordable, reliable energy to Americans across the country. To build a strong, stable energy future, our industry is committed to keeping safety at the forefront while engaging with local communities and stakeholders. This year’s honorees embody our collective commitment to the safe development and operation of this essential infrastructure.
API President and CEO Mike Sommers said.
The Small Operator Winner, Equistar Chemicals, LP, demonstrated a dedication to safety excellence through the implementation of AI-powered inspection technologies, enhanced data analytics and continuous improvement in its Safety Management System. These efforts, including revamped employee training programs and real-time monitoring systems, contributed to the company’s strong performance in both safety metrics and stakeholder engagement.
The Medium Operator Winner, ExxonMobil Pipeline Company LLC, has distinguished itself as a leader in the industry with its third consecutive win in this category, showcasing a strong commitment to safety across its operations. Their development of an industry-leading geohazard program, restructuring of safety management and efforts to extend Pipeline Safety Management Systems (PSMS) to enhance safety within its contractor companies have all been key to their continued success.
The Large Operator Winner, Phillips 66 Pipeline LLC, was recognized once again for its strong safety performance, innovative use of emerging technologies and proactive stakeholder engagement. Their work to implement API’s Recommended Practice 1185 through the Phillips 66 Midstream Public Engagement Guidelines and Assessment Tools demonstrates a strong commitment to building trust and fostering meaningful stakeholder involvement and aligns with industry best practices for pipeline public engagement.
As a global standards-settings organization, API has developed 47 industry standards to further advance safe and efficient pipeline operations.
This year’s awards come as API and the Liquid Energy Pipeline Association (LEPA) released their annual 2024 Pipeline Performance Report and updates to the 2023-2025 Pipeline Excellence Strategic Plan, highlighting the pipeline industry’s continuous strong record of safety performance even as pipeline mileage and barrels delivered have increased.
The 2024 report shows that in the last five years, the pipeline industry constructed more than 3,000 additional miles and delivered a greater than 15 percent increase in barrels of liquids, yet pipeline incidents declined significantly. Based on data maintained by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), total pipeline incidents and incidents impacting people or the environment both decreased by 13 percent since 2020. Total incidents per million barrels delivered declined 33 percent between 2019 and 2023, demonstrating the industry’s safety commitments while meeting increasing energy demand.
The 2024 API-LEPA Pipeline Performance Report is available here.
API represents all segments of America’s natural gas and oil industry, which supports nearly 11 million U.S. jobs and is backed by a growing grassroots movement of millions of Americans. Our approximately 600 members produce, process and distribute the majority of the nation’s energy, and participate in API Energy Excellence®, which is accelerating environmental and safety progress by fostering new technologies and transparent reporting. API was formed in 1919 as a standards-setting organization and has developed more than 800 standards to enhance operational and environmental safety, efficiency and sustainability.
To learn more about API and the value of oil and natural gas, please visit API.org.
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Source and photo: American Petroleum Institute