Albany, New York’s capital city, may join the ranks of U.S. energy hubs such as Houston and Cushing, Oklahoma , as oil-terminal operator Global Partners LP (GLP) pushes an expansion plan after already quadrupling its capacity. For the last two years, more oil from the Bakken shale formation has rolled 1,800 miles (2,900 kilometers) by rail across North Dakota and around the Great Lakes to Albany. There, companies including Global Partners and Buckeye Partners LP (BPL) load barges bound for New Jersey and New Brunswick refineries. Albany’s importance as a link in the energy-production chain is poised to grow under Global Partners’ effort to win state permission to handle oil-sands crude and biofuels for shipping over objections of neighbors and environmental groups. The convergence of Bakken crude cargoes in upstate New York adds Albany to the roster of North American cities grappling with a surge in rail-borne oil. The […]