The North Dakota Petroleum Council (NDPC) has released the final report on a study it commissioned to examine the characteristics of crude oil produced from the Bakken shale region. The third-party study, completed by Turner, Mason & Co., Dallas, and SGS Laboratories, indicates Bakken crude is similar to other North American light, sweet crudes and does not pose a greater risk to transport by rail than other crudes and transportation fuels, NDPC said. The final report follows preliminary results of the study presented in May ( OGJ Online, May 20, 2014 ). Designed to better understand the safety aspects of moving Bakken crude by rail, the study came as a response to concerns raised by government and industry groups as to the stability and safe transportability of the regional crude after its involvement in a series of high-profile railcar incidents in both the US and […]