First hazmat fines levied against North Dakota crude loaders

The first enforcement actions against North Dakota tank car loaders for misclassifying Bakken crude oil were announced Feb. 4 by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The notices of violation and attendant fines totaling $93,000 were issued against Hess Corp., Whiting Oil and Gas Corp., and Marathon Oil Co.
Commentary

Flawed State Dept. report twists rail safety stats

Proponents of the Keystone XL pipeline exulted while statisticians expressed dismay at the U.S. State Department’s dramatic assertion the week of Jan. 26 that failure to approve the proposed pipeline could cause an additional six persons per year to be killed by crude oil trains.

Savage expands crude oil logistics services in Western Canada

Savage, a provider of bundled supply chain management services for electric power generation, coal production, oil and gas, refining, agriculture, chemical, mining and manufacturing, has expanded its CBR (crude by rail) and truck transportation for crude oil services in Western Canada.

NTSB, TSB issue joint CBR safety recommendations

The National Transportation Safety Board, in coordination with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, on Jan. 23, 2014 issued a series of recommendations to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), both of which are part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, to address the safety risks of crude by rail (CBR). The recommendations are not unusual or groundbreaking; that NTSB and TSB have issued them jointly is indicative of increased cooperation among U.S. and Canadian regulatory bodies regarding CBR.

Will safety investments to protect railroads, public increase CBR costs?

A sell-off of shares in companies engaged in extracting oil from the mid-continent Bakken formation was the first indication from investors that they expect government scrutiny of the potentially explosive crude will disrupt crude-by-rail (CBR) and escalate its costs.

Collision on BNSF ignites oil train fire

A wreck involving two BNSF trains, one of which was carrying crude oil, sparked a huge fire and evacuations of nearby communities in North Dakota on Monday, Dec. 30, 2013.

Canada cracking down on CBR shippers

Canada’s government has ordered Transport Canada to crack down hard on crude oil shippers who they say continue to evade a directive that they test the contents of tank cars before classifying them as hazardous materials for crude by rail (CBR) transportation.
Commentary

U.S. energy independence—with the railroad industry’s help

Largely based upon increasing output from shale formations, the United States will surpass Russia and Saudi Arabia as the world’s top oil producer by 2015, and be close to energy independence in the next two decades, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), a Paris-based adviser to 28 energy-consuming nations. And based upon huge increases in CBR (crude by rail) traffic in the past two years—safety and regulatory issues notwithstanding—the railroads will be playing an increasingly important role.

Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway CBR train derails, explodes

A 90-car Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway CBR (crude by rail) train derailed and exploded in a rural area of western Alabama early on Friday, Nov. 8, 2013, leaving 26 cars burning. Thirty cars derailed or were damaged. The main line was expected to be out of service for about a week.

Keystone Gulf Coast pipeline nears service

Unbeknownst to many, the southern segment of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, called the “Keystone Gulf Coast,” should soon be in operation, according to a report in Bloomberg Businessweek filed by Associate Editor Matthew Phillips. The new pipeline’s impact on crude-by-rail is yet to be determined.
LOAD MORE