Regulations for railroad transportation of crude oil and the quality of Bakken crude will be the subject of a half-day seminar hosted by the North Dakota Safety Council (NDSC) and the North Dakota Petroleum Council (NDPC) Monday (Feb 1). The results of independent volatility tests of Bakken crude will be presented, along with state crude conditioning rules, federal crude oil transportation rules, and an investments/safety update from BNSF Railway. In the aftermath of a number of major rail accidents involving crude oil tank cars, federal and state officials called for studies of the content of Bakken oil (see Shale Daily,Aug. 5, 2014). Tests ultimately showed that Bakken crude was no different than other crudes being shipped via rail. A Tyco Williams representative will report the results of the company’s test on volatility, while a BNSF hazardous materials manager will update what the railroad is doing to raise the level of safety in crude-by-rail transport (see Shale Daily, March 31, 2015).