Blue Dolphin Energy Company (BDCO)

[jmjjw]

"D, all of the above."

Pipelines are usually abandoned for a combination of reasons, that include their condition, the economics associated with their operation (i.e. the source/producing field is exhausted), and related factors - corrosion, leaks on surface appurtenances, and so on.

When a line is sold to salvage, it may be completely excavated, removed, and cut up for scrap, or that may be partial - done only in places where the excavation and salvage haul-out is "easy." It could also be sitting intact, in the ground, waiting for the salvage company to get to it. Sometimes abandoned lines sit for years, or practically forever, because the salvage company went bust, or the price of scrap steel doesn't make recovery economical.

The Luling to Three Rivers line seems like an ideal candidate, if it were a candidate for rehab and return to service. There's no easy answer to that question.