Sen. Cramer Receives Briefing on Sandia Study of Bakken Crude From Energy, Transportation Department Officials

WASHINGTON – Officials from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) briefed U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) today regarding a study about Bakken crude oil completed by DOE’s Sandia National Lab for DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).

The study came following a law passed earlier this year by Washington state, which represented a de-facto ban on Bakken crude oil. The Congressional delegation urged DOT to overturn this law because it violates DOT’s primary authority over the shipment of crude oil within the United States and the Interstate Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

“I appreciate the Energy and Transportation officials discussing how Sandia arrived at the conclusion we already expected. As North Dakota’s Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem previously noted, there is no statistical difference in vapor pressure between Bakken crude, Texas shale, or degassed oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve,” said Senator Cramer. “The state of Washington is trying to make Bakken crude oil a victim of its extreme climate agenda, but the facts are not on Washington’s side.”

As the North Dakota Congressional delegation said when it was first released, the Sandia study found vapor pressure is not a statistically significant factor when it comes to thermal hazards, and the study’s results do not support distinguishing crude oils on the basis of vapor pressure. These conclusions bolster the argument to overturn a Washington State law requiring crude oil unloaded in the state to meet a 9 psi Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP), which would effectively block the Pacific Northwest – and, consequently, global markets – as a destination for Bakken crude oil.

“The Sandia study proves that Bakken crude is not more volatile than other crude oil produced in the United States and can be safely and efficiently transported using the same standards as other oils,” the Congressional delegation said at the time. “This study shows that the Washington State law has no basis for targeting Bakken crude.”

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