Rising Rail Oil Shipments Beg For Safer Keystone XL

Investor's Business Daily ^ | November 17, 2014 | IBD EDITORIALS

[raptor22]

Energy Transport: New data show fast-rising rail shipments from North Dakota's Bakken shale formation and the need for a safer alternative to rail — like the Keystone XL pipeline.

In his post-election press conference, the president noted in justifying his continual kicking of the Keystone XL oil drum down the road that "while this debate about Canadian oil has been raging ... we've seen some of the biggest increases in American oil production and natural gas production in our history."

That increase is due in large part to oil recovered from the Bakken shale formation centered on North Dakota. So much oil has been found there that the Energy Information Administration notes a 13.4% jump in rail shipments of oil over last year, a trend likely to continue.

This is both good news and bad news, for increased rail shipments of oil raise the risk of catastrophic train derailments. A State Department analysis released in June found that rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline project would result in 2,947 injuries and 434 deaths as oil companies shipped their oil by means, including rail, that are demonstrably less safe.

[Sacajaweau]

Obama still doesn’t realize that we are in the refinery business.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Warren Buffet is making a killing and probably paying Rats to oppose Keystone.

[Gay State Conservative]

save for later

[railroader]

The Keystone pipeline won’t affect shipments to the East or West coasts. That’s where crude-by-rail traffic is growing.

[raptor22]

Keystone XL Pipeline Ping

[musicman]

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[hawkaw]

Doesn’t the bitumen get shipped from Canada via rail right now or am I wrong?

If true and from a green energy point of view, what difference does it make if the bitumen is shipped by rail or pipeline to the Houston refineries?

From a safety point of view it seems a pipeline would be a smart idea.

[woodbutcher1963]

They do not care about safety. They care about lessening the
cost of shipping the oil from Canada to the refineries anywhere in the world. If they lower the cost of shipment, they will increase their return FOB Alberta. This will mean they will INCREASE production of oils sand extraction.
The greenies think this oil sand excavation is the worst sin against the earth ever. Worse than Open PIT COAL MINES.

[raptor22]

Keystone XL Pipeline Ping

[nascarnation]

Farmers around here (Indiana) are way behind on shipping harvest due to crude hogging the available shipping slots.
I assume it’s a bull market for railroads.

[familyop]

Yes. The rails would be better used to transport coal.

[raptor22]

Keystone XL Pipeline Ping

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks, I stole that combo yesterday.

Pictured below is what the brain of the GruberCare voters in Congress looks like when examined.

[Squawk 8888]

To all- please ping me to Canadian topics.

Canada Ping!

[railroader]

Farmers around here (Indiana) are way behind on shipping harvest due to crude hogging the available shipping slots. I assume it’s a bull market for railroads.

What people don't realize is that even oil trains sit on sidings, and mainlines, for hours, or even days. Railroads failed to hire sufficient train crews.

I suspect they didn't want to go on a hiring binge or spend billions on capacity improvements only to have the traffic dry up if and when the price of oil collapses and fracking declined.