Trains Carrying Fracked Oil Could Pass Through More Bay Area Cities, Report Says

CBS 5 San Francisco ^ | 3/10/2014

[Vendome]

They are proposing to use exactly the same track for these hazardous cars. Totally unacceptable,” said Berkeley Vice Mayor Linda Maio.The hazardous cars Maio is talking about could carry a highly explosive crude oil fracked from the Bakken region of North Dakota. It is as flammable as gasoline: as we saw when a 100-car train carrying the fuel derailed in Quebec last summer.

[brooklyn dave]

I am not totally convinced about the total safety of fracking even though it’s wonderful for the economy. But I don’t want to hear hysterical chicken little opinions that
just scream “Oh it’s killing Mother Earth” If I read something that challenges fracking, I want it to be a level headed opinion with scientific back up—not a screed as the global warming folks have been doing for years.

[woodbutcher1963]

Actually, if they could load the oil on a barge and ship it to the refinery it would be a lot cheaper to transport and unload at the refinery. Consider this, the boat pulls up to a dock at the refinery, they hook up the pipe and pump it out. Next scenario is the 100 car tanker train pulls up to the refinery. Each tanker has to be hooked up and pumped out individually. That is 100 different hook ups and disconnects. Now, it may be more automated than that, but I have to imagine that there it much more labor involved in loading and unloading 100 tanker cars than there is 1 barge or supertanker. However, last I checked there were not to many rivers in North Dakota, Saskatchewan or Montana that a large tanker ship could transit. I do not believe that they can go that far up the Missouri.

[bray]

Marxists hate oil since it powers capitalism. Destruction of America is their goal, just look at California.

Pray America wakes up

[thackney]

Is there barge traffic from Bismark to the Mississippi?

[woodbutcher1963]

So how much of the oil is being shipped by barge? Is it more expensive/barrel to ship by this method than by rail?
OR, is it just that the refineries buying this oil are not built on waterways?
Or, are the barges that travel the Missouri not ocean worthy vessels? For example, JD Irving’s refinery in St Johns, New Brunswick is built on the water to load/accept tankers. It would seem to me that shipping by barge/vessel tanker would be more cost effective than shipping by railcar. Enlighten me please.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I don’t think barges go as far north as Sioux City.

[thackney]

I don’t know the limit of barge traffic on the North end of the Missouri.

I’m asking for input from those more informed on the subject.

[woodbutcher1963]

I will ask my customer outside of Williston.

[Syncro]

Now to convince San Fran Nan that "fracked oil" isn't a fossil fuel either. (Which it isn't actually)

[roadcat]

Idiot writer with an idiot agenda.
If it was truly "as flammable as gasoline", you'd never see it, 'cause we'd be burning it in the F-150, and cheap!

The idiocy of this writer is proven, if one were to point out that there are large pipelines in the downtown area of Berkeley that carry aircraft fuel. Some of them are above ground in the open, where a wayward vehicle can easily leave the road and slam into them. The pipelines carry fuel from refineries to area airports.

[Vendome]

It also powers Putin....