Importantly, the latest payout marks the 29th consecutive quarterly distribution hike by the pipeline operator, of which 24 increases have been 10% or more year over year.

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For example, a CEO may decide that the following goals are essential: Increasing products or pipeline, improving distribution channels, making cost structures flexible to cyclicality, accelerating quality improvement, and establishing market leadership in a given segment or geography.

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"We've hired 100 people to work 100 percent on pipeline safety in our distribution system over the last two years, " he said.

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" The 27 members handpicked by the President recommended that he support "policies that facilitate the safe, thoughtful and timely development of pipeline, transmission and distribution projects, " and they warned that failing to do so "would stall the engine that could become a prime driver of U.S. jobs and growth in the decades ahead.

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CMS's Consumers Energy unit has 626 miles of cast- and wrought-iron pipeline in its gas system, or about 2.4 percent of the utility's total distribution system.

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In the past five years, we have increased our hotel distribution in Brazil, Russia, India and China at a 12 percent compound annual growth rate while tripling our development pipeline in those markets.

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