[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 180 (Tuesday, November 12, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1423]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                WAR EMERGENCY PIPELINE HISTORICAL MARKER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOHN SHIMKUS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 12, 2019

  Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the November 
11, 2019, dedication of an Illinois State Historical Society Historical 
Marker for the Completion of the War Emergency Pipeline in 1943 from 
Longview, Texas, to Norris City, Illinois.
  Before the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and entry of 
the United States into World War II, 95 percent of the crude oil 
delivered to east coast oil refineries was transported by tanker ships, 
with 90 percent of that from Texas oil fields. In 1942, oil tankers 
from the Gulf of Mexico were being sunk by German submarines at the 
rate of three per day. A committee appointed by President Franklin D. 
Roosevelt recommended an overland pipeline be built from Longview to 
Norris City.
  Work began at Longview on August 3, 1942, and a dedication ceremony 
at Norris City was held upon completion, February 19, 1943. Newspapers 
and radio stations recorded the event; the newsreels were shown prior 
to movies in theaters all over America. The first day, 60,000 barrels 
of crude oil flowed into Norris City. The first trainload left Norris 
City the night of the dedication with 96 oil tankers.
  Fifteen 80,000-barrel storage tanks and three loading racks had been 
built. 13,500 barrels of crude oil were received hourly on this 
pipeline between February 19 and September 1, 1943. The railroad hauled 
124,193 tankers of oil out of Norris City. The War Emergency Pipeline 
put 3,500 people to work.
  Madam Speaker, the pipeline's impact on the war effort was 
tremendous, enabling the safe and timely transport of oil vital to the 
allies during the height of wartime service. I want to extend a warm 
thank you to the Enbridge-Texas Eastern Company and The Illinois State 
Historical Society for collaborating to ensure an important piece of 
this nation's history is preserved for future generations.

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