- Following a string of explosive accidents on railcars carrying crude oil, a WSJ analysis finds that crude from North Dakota’s Bakken Shale formation contains several times more combustible gases than oil from elsewhere.
- Nearly 1M bbl/day are being produced in North Dakota but with pipeline capacity unable to keep up with growth, railroads are the prime method of transporting the crude to refineries; the volatility of the crude, however, raises concerns that the cargo moving through the U.S. is more dangerous than previously believed.
- Tanker cars full of oil pass through several major U.S. cities, and a repeat of what happened in last July's fatal derailment in Quebec in a densely populated area is a huge safety concern.
- Among top Bakken producers: CLR, EOG, WLL, HES, KOG, OAS, XOM, MRO, STO.