Free Republic

What are the most active crude oil-producing regions in the United States? The Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's rig counts. Among more than 1,500 oil rigs in operation around the nation as of early November, more than 560 were in the Permian Basin and more than 200 were in the Eagle Ford Shale. By comparison, about 190 rigs were operating in the Bakken Shale. And at third quarter's end, the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale housed 7,787 and 3,541 wells, respectively, while 2,062 wells were located in the Williston Basin, which...

My inbox has been full of questions from readers wanting to know whether a train they've seen moving through Oregon was carrying oil. Not every train moving big black tank cars is hauling oil. Here's a quick guide to tell whether you're looking at an oil train or not and whether its cars are newer models or outdated ones. First, check the placard on the train car. Every car moving hazardous materials has a placard identifying what's in it. Crude oil is shipped in cars with placard No. 1267. Here's what the placard looks like: Rob Davis/The Oregonian These small...

A major rail industry group is calling for updating or phasing out thousands of tank cars used to carry crude oil, as federal officials weigh new regulations on moving hazardous materials by rail. The Association of American Railroads is urging U.S. regulators to require retrofits for roughly 72,000 older tank cars that haul flammable substances such as crude and ethanol, plus minor upgrades for an additional 14,000 newer cars. The AAR also recommends an "aggressive phase-out" of cars that can't meet retrofit requirements, the group said yesterday in comments filed with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. PHMSA, an...