Cybersecurity

Colonial Pipeline Has Been a Lucrative Cash Cow for Many Years

  • It pays out nearly all its profits in dividends to owners
  • It has had a series of accidents that have raised concerns
Photographer: Mark Kauzlarich/Bloomberg
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The U.S. company that just paid a $5 million ransom to East European hackers has been quietly making hundreds of millions of dollars a year providing a vital service with little competition and a safety record that has raised concerns.

Colonial Pipeline, based in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta, Georgia, operates the largest fuel pipeline in the country, transporting more than 100 million gallons a day from Houston to New York City, half the region’s needs.