The House Subcommittees on Energy and Oversight, chaired by Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) and Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) respectively, held a joint hearing on Tuesday to look into the potential danger of crude oil originating from the Bakken region in North Dakota, Montana and Canada.
The hearing stemmed from a Department of Transportation report in July warning of the danger of the petroleum, saying it “is more volatile than most other types of crude – which correlates to increased ignitability and flammability.”
“Petroleum from the Bakken region recently passed 1 million barrels per day, which accounts for approximately 12 pecent of total domestic production,” Lummis said. “This is an important resource for the United States and it deserves due attention. The assertion that volatility necessarily correlates to increased ignitability and flammability have generated significant controversy.”
Several Department of Energy employees who testified at the hearing agreed more research was needed to validate the claim.
“The Department of Transportation report’s comparison of the Bakken crude, which is classified as light, sweet crude, to crude oil in general, including heavier crudes, is a bit like comparing apples to oranges because light sweet crudes as a class are generally considered to be more volatile than heavier crudes,” Broun said.