Is that confetti raining from the sky? No, that would be a blizzard of 1Q earnings reports from our oil and gas producer friends commiserating sub-zero natural gas prices, and our midstream friends largely making hay....

When earnings season rolls around, which it now has with 1Q in the bag for most oil and gas companies, Wall Street analysts are nothing short of giddy to share their comparisons and contrasts among rivals following earnings reports. That’s what shareholders expect. But in the echelon of largest U.S. energy players, this exclusively translates to Exxon and Chevron—also ranked as fifth and seventh largest, respectively, in the world. ...

The U.S. oil and gas pipeline network is a sight to behold that goes largely unseen save for a satellite image. Operating around the clock, shouldering a massive responsibility to keep the nation running uninterrupted at full speed, it’s also one of the world’s largest. Home to the greatest number of crude oil pipelines at 147, with another eight under development. Home to 254 natural gas pipelines—the most in North America. And still, we need more to keep pace with the vast changes underfoot that depend on this critical network....