Oil Trains from North Dakota to the Rescue in Philadelphia

The hazards of shipping North Dakotan crude-by-rail have been well documented and are the focus of new DOT regulations due to its volatility, but there's a more positive side to this oil and the trains that deliver it, illustrated in Philadelphia.

2 minute read

March 16, 2014, 7:00 AM PDT

By Irvin Dawid


We recently reported on demonstrations in California at a Bay Area facility that would store oil from North Dakota that would be delivered by rail.

In Philadelphia, the report [listen here] by Katie Colaneri of Philadelphia's WHYY public radio station includes a celebration from last fall as the first oil unit train arrives from North Dakota at a huge refinery carrying the same volatile crude that has stirred the fears of Pittsburg, Calif. residents.

Why the different receptions to crude-by-rail from the Bakken shale formation? In Philadelphia, the combination of cheap Bakken crude and oil unit trains means that an aging oil refinery will not have to close. "Hundreds of workers were getting pink slips," states Colaneri.

Last fall, workers in blue jumpsuits applauded as a train hauling 120 black tanker cars full of crude oil from North Dakota pulled into the 140-year-old refinery complex in South Philadelphia.

Today, the Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery is the single-largest consumer of North Dakota crude oil [and also "the largest oil refining complex on the U.S. Eastern seaboard", according to its website.]

However, energy analyst Kevin Lindemer with the firm IHS, tells Colaneri that pipelines would be preferable to oil trains.

Without pipelines to move it underground, increased traffic on the rails has resulted in more derailments across the country. In January, a derailment in Philadelphia left six tanker cars full of oil intact, but leaning across the tracks of a bridge that spans [the Schuylkill River] and a busy interstate. 

In addition to pipelines to replace oil trains, natural gas pipelines are needed to access Pennsylvania's abundant natural gas from the Marcellus Shale, states the refinery's CEO, Phil Rinaldi, which "would revitalize the entire region...by build(ing) a dynamic, manufacturing-based economy."

Lindemer agrees. What's holding back the region is infrastructure, he emphasizes. And infrastructure means energy pipelines.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014 in NPR Morning Edition

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 7, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

People biking along beach path with moored ship in San Diego, California.

San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan

The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.

May 2, 2025 - SD News

Front of Walmart store with sign.

Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network

The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.

May 7, 2025 - Inc.

Pump station with blue pipes coming out of concrete wall in Seattle, Washington.

Seattle Builds Subway-Sized Tunnel — for Stormwater

The $700 million ‘stormwater subway’ is designed to handle overflows during storms, which contain toxic runoff from roadways and vehicles.

May 13 - City Observatory

Sign for Deschutes National Forest in Oregon.

Feds Clear Homeless Encampment in Oregon Forest

The action displaced over 100 people living on national forest land near Bend, Oregon.

May 13 - The New York Times

Seeing the Better City

Is This Urbanism?

Chuck Wolfe ponders a recommended subscription list of Substack urbanists and wonders — as have others — about the utility of the "urbanist" moniker.

May 13 - Resurgence: A Journey via Substack

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.