Rail companies operating in the United States should avoid using older DOT-111 tank cars to carry Bakken crude oil, the Department of Transportation said. The department’s Federal Railroad Administration and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issued a safety advisory calling on shippers offering crude oil from the Bakken area of North Dakota to use tank cars designed with “the highest level of integrity” available. Carriers, they said Wednesday, are called on to avoid using older DOT-111 or CTC-111 rail cars to carry Bakken crude oil “to the extent possible.” U.S. regulators in January issued an advisory warning Bakken crude oil may be more prone to catch fire than other grades. An accelerating rate of oil production from states like North Dakota has stressed existing pipeline capacity. Industry officials said rail is taking up the slack, though a series of derailments involving rail […]