"Details About Crude Oil Rail Shipments Shrouded in Secrecy"

"Trains carrying a potentially more flammable crude oil have begun rolling with little notice through Sacramento and California in the last year, prompting concerns about safety and calls for more transparency, but state officials said Friday they have decided for now not to release information to the public on where those trains run or how many there are.

Kelly Huston, deputy director of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, said the decision to withhold such details from the public is not an easy one, given that some of the crude is a combustible oil from the Bakken fields of North Dakota, carried in tank cars that industry experts say are susceptible to puncture.

State officials said this week they have little information yet about Bakken and other shipments, and that until they get more details and a better understanding of the safety and security issues involved, they will follow federal advice to divulge information only to local firefighters and others who must respond if there is a hazardous spill or fire."

Tony Bizjak and Curtis Tate report for the Sacramento Bee June 16, 2014.

SEE ALSO:

"2 States Beef Up Oil-by-Rail and Pipeline Safety After String of Accidents" (InsideClimate News)