The Energy Information Administration (EIA) released the latest data today for crude by rail (CBR) across the country that shows a significant increase over the last five years.
Total CBR movement in the United States and between the United States and Canada was more than 1 million barrels per day (bbl/d) in 2014, up from 55,000 bbl/d in 2010. The regional distribution of these movements has also changed over this period.
Crude by rail continues to be highly controversial as people question the safety for individuals and the environment. With production at an all time high, the CBR numbers will continue to escalate as producers must find a way to move their product.
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The EIA developed a new tracking system that will gather data across all regions of the country and parts of Canada from January 2010 through the current month. CBR activity is tracked between pairs of Petroleum Administration for Defense District (PADD) regions (inter-PADD), within each region (intra-PADD), and across the U.S.-Canada border.
“EIA Administrator Adam Sieminski says that “EIA expects that the new data it has developed using information provided by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) along with data from other third-party sources and our own survey data, will provide key insights into oil-by-rail movements, including shipments to and from Canada.”
Read more at eia.gov