Data released by a lobbying group for oil refiners confirmed that crude from the Bakken shale in North Dakota is very volatile and contains high levels of combustible gases. But the group said the crude, which has been linked to fiery rail accidents, is no more dangerous to ship than oil from other shale regions and is being correctly loaded and transported under existing federal rules. New rules aren’t warranted, the group, the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, said Wednesday. U.S. regulators recently called Bakken crude an imminent hazard because of what they believe is its unusually flammable nature, and are in the process of proposing new regulations for the booming business of shipping oil by train. Instead, attention should shift to the rail industry’s safety record, said Charles Drevna, president of the oil-refiner trade group, some of whose members have made big investments in crude-by-rail infrastructure such as […]