From: dickhum@remail.com   
      
   XPost: sci.geo.petroleum, sac.politics, alt.politics.obama   
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   After a string of fiery oil train accidents in recent months,   
   the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) on Wednesday   
   proposed new rules seeking to address safety concerns over the   
   increasing use of rail to transport crude oil.   
      
   The long-promised standards call for a phaseout or retrofit of   
   older rail cars known as DOT-111s, which are known to be   
   vulnerable to leaks and explosions, within two years; new speed   
   and operational restrictions; and a stricter system for testing   
   and classifying mined gases and liquids, among other measures.   
   (Related: "Oil Train Derails in Lynchburg, Virginia.")   
      
   "The volume of crude oil being produced and shipped by rail in   
   North America simply did not exist that long ago," wrote   
   Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx on the DOT's website. "As   
   the facts have changed on the ground so rapidly in the past few   
   years, we must also change how we move this energy." (Related:   
   "N.D. Oil Train Fire Spotlights Risks of Transporting Crude.")   
      
   Foxx noted that between 2008 and last year, the number of rail-   
   carloads of oil shipped in the United States jumped by more than   
   4,300 percent. The jump has been driven by a spike in U.S. oil   
   production from North Dakota's Bakken shale and a shortage of   
   pipeline capacity.   
      
   The Department of Transportation also noted that the risks of   
   transporting oil from North Dakota are elevated because the oil   
   tends to travel distances of 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) or   
   more to coastal refineries. (Related: "Oil Train Revival:   
   Booming North Dakota Relies on Rail to Deliver Its Crude.")   
      
   Also at issue is the particular composition of crude coming out   
   of the Bakken shale. In a report accompanying the rulemaking   
   announcement, the Department of Transportation noted that oil   
   coming out of the Bakken shale "has a higher gas content, higher   
   vapor pressure, lower flash point and boiling point and thus a   
   higher degree of volatility than most other crudes in the U.S.,   
   which correlates to increased ignitability and flammability."   
   (Related: "Illinois Village Leads Charge for Tougher Train   
   Rules.")   
      
   It was an oil train filled with Bakken crude that led to tragedy   
   last summer in the town of Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, when a train   
   comprising 72 tanker cars derailed in the town center. The   
   ensuing explosion leveled the town and killed 47 people.   
   Subsequent crashes have occurred in Lynchburg, Virginia;   
   Casselton, North Dakota; Aliceville, Alabama; and other   
   locations in the United States. (Related: "Oil Train Crash Probe   
   Raises Five Key Issues on Cause" and "Oil Train Tragedy in   
   Canada Spotlights Rising Crude Transport by Rail.")   
      
   Canada has also announced new oil train safety rules aimed at   
   improving railway accountability and calling for a phaseout of   
   the older DOT-111 cars.   
      
   The rail industry issued a statement saying it was still   
   studying the details but welcomed the regulatory action, which   
   will be opened to a 60-day public comment period before it is   
   finalized. "This long-anticipated rulemaking from DOT provides a   
   much-needed pathway for enhancing the safe movement of flammable   
   liquids in the U.S.," Association of American Railroads   
   President and CEO Edward Hamberger said.   
      
   Railroads typically do not own the tank cars used for oil   
   transport-leasing companies contract the cars out to the oil   
   industry. The American Petroleum Institute said Wednesday that   
   it was reviewing the new rule, but it also labeled as   
   "speculation" the DOT's assertion that Bakken crude is more   
   flammable than other crudes.   
      
   "The best science and data do not support recent speculation   
   that crude oil from the Bakken presents greater than normal   
   transportation risks," said API President and CEO Jack Gerard.   
   "Multiple studies have shown that Bakken crude is similar to   
   other crudes."   
      
   The Department of Transportation report said that the agency   
   relied on "months of unannounced inspections, testing, and   
   analysis" to arrive at its conclusions about the qualities of   
   Bakken crude. (Related: "Eight Steps for Safer Oil Trains Eyed   
   by U.S. Safety Officials.")   
      
   Karen Darch, village president of Barrington, Illinois, a   
   Chicago suburb regularly traversed by oil train traffic that has   
   led a push for tougher rail regulations, said Wednesday that   
   although she was still reviewing the DOT proposal, she was   
   concerned to see that only trains carrying 20 carloads or more   
   of flammable liquids would fall under the new standards. That   
   potentially leaves room for mishaps with trains carrying smaller   
   loads, she said.   
      
   "Our focus has been on getting the material in a safer car   
   because even at low speeds, you can have a derailment. And the   
   best defense is having the car hold up in a derailment," Darch   
   said. "We think the enhanced standards that they're proposing   
   for the tank cars are the best solution and we would like to see   
   that universally adopted for train cars carrying flammable   
   hazardous material."   
      
   The story is part of a special series that explores energy   
   issues. For more, visit "The Great Energy Challenge."   
      
   http://news.nationalgeographic.com/energy/2014/07/140723-united-   
   states-oil-train-rules-proposed/   
      
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