1、 https:/crsreports.congress.gov September 7, 2017Rail Transportation of Crude Oil and the FAST Act: An UpdateIntroduction After a multiyear boom, the volume of crude oil carried by U.S. railroads has fallen to the lowest level since 2012. This decline may have implications for efforts by the U.S. De
2、partment of Transportation (DOT) to finalize regulations concerning the safety of rail transportation of crude. Increased oil drilling in North Dakotas Williston Basin (also known as the Bakken), made possible by new drilling methods such as hydraulic fracturing and directional drilling, led to a sh
3、arp rise in the movement of crude oil by railroads beginning about 2010 (see Figure 1). Large-scale oil production was new to the region, which lacked pipeline capacity to handle the volume. As an alternative, oil producers began shipping more oil to refineries by railroad. Some of these trains dera
4、iled, leading to oil spills, fires, and explosions. Several incidents required emergency evacuations of nearby residents, and one resulted in fatalities. (For further background, see CRS Report R43390, U.S. Rail Transportation of Crude Oil: Background and Issues for Congress.) DOT issued emergency o
