Oil & Gas, Bakken Shale, Railways

When Oil Prices Head South, So Do the Bakken Oil Trains

BakerHostetler on 2/12/2015

Bakken crude oil increasingly heads south as low oil prices erode its competitive advantage in the U.S. East Coast market. The price of WTI crude oil—the benchmark price for most U.S. shale crudes—is moving toward parity with...more

RE: Bakken Crude-by-Rail: Environmental Groups Ask New York State to Regulate DOT-111 Tank Cars

BakerHostetler on 11/17/2014

A recent state-law challenge by environmental groups to an aspect of crude-by-rail transportation has teed up the question of federal supremacy over railroad regulation. Because federal law generally preempts state regulation...more

Industry Takes Steps to Address Safety of Crude Oil Shipments

Nossaman LLP on 6/2/2014

The Department of Transportation (DOT) recently issued an Emergency Order (EO) requiring all rail carriers to notify State Emergency Response Commissions regarding the expected routing of their unit trains of Bakken crude...more

Industry Group Study Says Bakken Crude Poses No Different Risks Than Other Crude Shipped By Rail

Nossaman LLP on 6/2/2014

As rail shipments of crude oil moving out of North Dakota’s Bakken formation have risen in recent years, so have derailments of trains carrying crude oil throughout the United States and Canada. One facet of the debate over...more

With Increased Federal Scrutiny, State Governments Look To Expand Oil-By-Rail Oversight

Stoel Rives LLP on 5/2/2014

With the federal Department of Transportation’s recent emergency order impacting those who transport crude oil by rail, state governments are likewise considering additional regulatory oversight that could affect the industry...more

Safety Alerts and Other Recommendations in the Wake of Rail Accidents Involving Bakken Formation Crude Oil

BakerHostetler on 3/5/2014

Recent accidents involving rail cars transporting crude oil from the Bakken shale region have resulted in the heightened interest of rail industry regulators and other federal agencies, including the Pipeline and Hazardous...more