Some are calling for the progress of pipeline projects in the aftermath of the Dec. 30 derailment and explosion of a Burlington Northern Sante Fe freight train carrying crude oil from the Bakken shale formation through Casselton, N.D. It was the fourth such incident in North America in 2013.
In October, the Fraser Institute, a public-policy think tank in Calgary, Alberta, released a report titled "Intermodal Transport in the Safety of Oil," written by Kenneth Green. "Truck and rail have a higher rate of accidents, leaks and worker fatalities than pipelines, yet the general public seems to be more opposed to pipelines," Green notes. "Trains ... are designed to go right through a city center. They're also moving at higher velocities as pressure mounts to increase the rate of delivery."