Canada’s national energy regulator said Thursday exports of crude oil by rail dropped in the latest quarter, a sign that lower oil prices have made shipments by rail less attractive to some Canadian crude producers. Crude-by-rail exports declined 5% to 173,342 barrels a day in the fourth quarter, down from 182,396 barrels a day in the previous three month period but still above the 148,929 barrels a day exported in the last quarter of 2013, according to National Energy Board data. A slide in oil prices to six-year lows has crimped oil producers’ profit margins and made it uneconomical for some to ship by rail. Last month, Suncor Energy Inc. and Cenovus Energy Inc., two of Canada’s largest oil sands producers, both said they have stopped shipments of crude-by-rail to the U.S. Gulf Coast. The U.S. imports more oil from Canada than from any other country. Despite an overall […]