This is the largest petroleum tank farm in three states and you have to monitor flow and temperature in the blistering summer heat. Crews patrol the acreage checking gauges but it's a time consuming and slow process. You get reports on "the big board" if something goes wrong but somebody still has to go out there and readjust the setting and reset the mechanism.

Pipeline maintenance means riding through miles of barren landscape to make sure that billion dollar investment is sound and healthy. It's a never-ending job. Something that's OK today could suddenly develop trouble tomorrow and there would be no one around to check for weeks. How do you know before it's a real problem?