US DOT Orders Shippers to Test Oil From Bakken Region Before Transport by Rail
The U.S. Department of Transportation issued an emergency order requiring shippers to test product from the Bakken region in North Dakota and Montana to ensure proper classification of crude oil before it is transported by rail.
“Today, we are raising the bar for shipping crude oil on behalf of the families and communities along rail lines nationwide,” Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a Feb. 25 statement.
“If you intend to move crude oil by rail, then you must test and classify the material appropriately. And when you do ship it, you must follow the requirements for the two strongest safety packing groups.”
DOT said the order was issued in response to recent derailments involving trains carrying crude oil from the Bakken region and out of concerns over proper classification that are under investigation as part of Operation Classification, also known as the “Bakken Blitz.”
Government investigators announced last month that 11 of 18 oil samples being taken to rail loading stations in the Bakken region were misclassified. Hess Corp., Whiting Oil and Gas Corp. and Marathon Oil Co. face proposed fines of $93,000 for the alleged violations.
