SHIPMENTS: The percentage of North Dakota oil shipped by rail has dropped below 50 percent for the first time in several years.
North Dakota Pipeline Authority Director Justin Kringstad says rail shipments accounted for 47 percent of the 1.2 million barrels of oil produced in June. That’s down from a high of 75 percent two years ago.
Kringstad says recently completed pipelines and additional refining capacity in the state has caused the rail shipments to drop.
Trains hauling North Dakota crude began running in 2008 when the state first reached its shipping capacity with existing pipelines and infrastructure.
Kringstad says the bulk of the state’s oil by rail is being shipped to refineries on the East Coast, followed by shipments to the West and Gulf coasts.
