New York’s attorney general is calling on federal transportation regulators to impose new safety rules governing the combustibility of crude oil shipped by rail. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman wants energy companies to treat crude oil using a process that removes volatile gases before the fuel can be loaded onto trains. These gases have been linked to fiery explosions after railroad accidents, including the deadly 2013 crash in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec. On Tuesday, Mr. Schneiderman petitioned the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to impose a cap on the vapor pressure of crude transported by train. The rule he is proposing would require energy companies to use equipment known as stabilizers, which use heat and pressure to remove light hydrocarbon molecules such as butane and propane from the oil. While common in Texas, this equipment is rarer in newer oil fields like the Bakken Shale in North Dakota. “In New […]