North Dakota has approved new rail transportation safety standards for crude oil that stipulate operating standards for oil-conditioning equipment at the well to separate production fluids into gas and liquid. The North Dakota Industrial Commission (NDIC) voted unanimously Dec. 9 on standards that require producers to heat crude to at least 110° F. at a pressure of 50 psi, effective Apr. 1, 2015. The new standards, which apply to crude oil from the Bakken , Three Forks , and Sanish formations, require the removal of light hydrocarbons ensuring crude oil going to rail terminals has a rvp limit of 13.7 psi. The new standards involve lower temperatures than the NDIC initially considered and some of the operating procedures also were changed from original proposals ( OGJ Online, Nov. 14, 2014 ). “This is all designed so that everyone knows the crude oil is being treated,” […]