Join the discussion on the following article:
Trains News Wire FLASH: US DOT issues emergency order on crude by rail
In answer to Gus’ comment, the trains were not as long and the population was not a great in the 40’s, and, of course, there was lots less government regulation.
Karl’s comment poses lots of questions that will need to be answered. The government only mandates a result without figuring out how to do it or how to fund it. The bureaucrats cannot do everything, thank God.
Testing will probably have to be done on a per stock tank basis, since that crude mix will have its own character. The key will be whether there is an acceptable inexpensive field test available or not.
and when Oil was transported in the 40s we didn’t have such regulations because???
What, do you test each car? Each train load? From my understanding is that different companies/wells may offload to the tanks at the transload facility. And is BNSF/CN doing this? Or will outside parties be hired to certify the content?
There is always a risk.
ALARA would seem to apply.
Some say there are those who want to drive our current energy suppliers out of the market.
Gus, in late1941 and much of 1942, the Kreigsmarine U-Boat service was playing havoc with tankers normally used to transport crude and refined petroleums along the US coastline and in the Caribbean. The US oïl traffic was shifted to rail for valid strategic reasons and domestic and export petroleum resources were move almost exclusively by rail car until late in the war, when the submarine menace was under better control. The U-boats sank ships right up until the very end. Even under wartime conditions the volumes never approached what is used in today’s conditions, plus the risks were accepted as a condition related to armed conflict. Regulation does not apply when your enemy wants to destroy your way of life. Just pray that that particular situation never repeats itself.
The regulations were not in place because there wasn’t an international classification standard in place as there had not been enough accumulated incidents or scientific analysis. I suspect there was some forerunner industry rules promulgated by the Bureau of Explosives. In any case the article, partly due to Foxx’s quote, could leave a reader with the impression that Class and Packing Groups are the same thing. Crude is a Class 3 Flammable Liquid with three Packing Groups to choose from. Packing Group I is considered to be higher risk than Packing Group III. Packing Group III apparently will not be a valid choice for Bakken crude for the foreseeable future.
The regulations were not in place because there wasn’t an international classification standard in place as there had not been enough accumulated incidents or scientific analysis. I suspect there was some forerunner industry rules promulgated by the Bureau of Explosives. In any case the article, partly due to Foxx’s quote, could leave a reader with the impression that Class and Packing Groups are the same thing. Crude is a Class 3 Flammable Liquid with three Packing Groups to choose from. Packing Group I is considered to be higher risk than Packing Group III. Packing Group III apparently will not be a valid choice for Bakken crude for the foreseeable future.