NGI's Shale Daily, 3/25:
DOE Investigating Crude Volatility; New Rail Car Standards Said Close
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) currently is conducting research and analysis into ways to control the volatility of highly flammable crude oil and expects to have the project completed by this fall, according to testimony before a House Appropriations subcommittee budget hearing Wednesday.
DOE is investigating whether crude should be treated to remove dissolved gases or whether or ways could be used to stabilize it, said Timothy Butters, Acting Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), in response to questions from the House panel.
Rep. Mike Quigley, D-IL, noting recent recent derailments in Illinois and West Virginia, asked why the more volatile crude transported from the Bakken Shale could not be stabilized in the same way crude from the Eagle Ford Shale in Texas is stabilized before being loaded into tank cars.
Butters said a study on crude volatility is underway and he expected to see results of that study published by the fall.
More here.
