Liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons remain the primary energy sources of the industrialized economies; in the United States, more than 700 million gallons of oil products and 51 billion cubic feet of natural gas are used every day. Pipelining is the primary means of delivering these hydrocarbons to the consumer. While less developed economies still rely heavily on batch mode such as trucks and rails as the primary means of distributing energy, the more developed economies rely more on the continuous mode of transport afforded by pipelines. In addition to being economic and very efficient, an underground pipeline network is an environmental and safety imperative. Burying pipelines preserves the esthetics of the environment while protecting the pipelines from accidental damage and sabotage.