BILLINGS, Mon. -- Following a string of explosive accidents, US officials say crude oil being shipped by rail from the Northern Plains across the US and Canada may be more flammable than traditional forms of oil.
A safety alert issued by the US Department of Transportation warns the public, emergency responders and shippers about the potential high volatility of the crude being shipped from the Bakken oil shale patch in Montana and North Dakota.
The warning comes after the massive explosion caused by an oil train derailment on Monday near Casselton, North Dakota.
No one was hurt, but worries about toxic fumes prompted the evacuation of hundreds of residents from the small eastern North Dakota town.
The oil boom in the Bakken has reduced America's reliance on imported oil and brought thousands of jobs to the region.
But as companies have increasingly relied on trains to get that oil to lucrative coastal markets, public safety in communities bisected by rail lines has become a major concern.
In July, 47 people were killed in Lac Megantic, Quebec, when a train carrying Bakken crude derailed.
The amount of oil moved by rail has spiked since 2009, from just more than 10,000 tanker cars to a projected 400-thousand cars in 2013.
Today's safety alert resulted in part from results of preliminary tests on Bakken oil to determine just how dangerous it is.
Jeannie Shiffer with the Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration says it's important to know the volatility of the oil so that it can be properly handled during shipping.
