Replies to post #7859 on The Rising Influence of Rising Affluence

[jbog]

QakesCS,

Bakken crude is commonly listed as "light crude" which mean they'll have more aromatics (benzene, naphtha and gas-oil) than heavy crude.

There's no question that they are in the upper range of crude oil's definition when we talk about volatility, but they still are in the crude range.

[DewDiligence]

(HES)—Yet another article on the hazards of shipping Bakken oil via rail:

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304834704579401353579548592

Crude oil from North Dakota's Bakken Shale formation contains several times the combustible gases as oil from elsewhere, a Wall Street Journal analysis found, raising new questions about the safety of shipping such crude by rail across the U.S.

Federal investigators are trying to determine whether such vapors are responsible for recent extraordinary explosions of oil-filled railcars, including one that killed several dozen people in Canada last summer.

…Federal regulators, who have sought information about vapor pressure and other measures of the flammability and stability of Bakken crude, have said the energy industry hasn't provided the data despite pledges to do so.

…Bakken crude actually is a mixture of oil, ethane, propane and other gaseous liquids, which are commingled far more than in conventional crude. Unlike conventional oil, which sometimes looks like black syrup, Bakken crude tends to be very light. "You can put it in your gas tank and run it," said Jason Nick, a product manager at testing-instruments company Ametek Inc. "It smells like gasoline."

Just when it looked like this issue was resolved with a voluntary agreement between industry and the federal government, it’s back in the news. The quotation in the bottommost paragraph above seems unduly provocative insofar as this is the WSJ, not the NYT.

[DewDiligence]

From NYT write-up on Virginia oil-train derailment:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/01/business/energy-environment/as-new-shipping-rules-are-studied-another-oil-train-derails.html

Environmentalists quickly made the case on Wednesday that the accident was another sign of the dangers of oil drilling, even though they are also critical of alternative pipeline transport.

It sounds like the NYT author was trying to be funny, but the sad thing is that he was being serious.