Crude oil trains are becoming more controversial by the day in some parts of the United States. At the same time, some areas are welcoming unit trains hauling refined fuel products, such as ethanol.
1. Spokane WA, will ask voters in November whether the city should prohibit crude oil or coal shipments. Spokane is the latest community attempting to assert its local authority in the fight over fossil fuels, according to a Manufacturing.net report. Cities such as Oakland CA, South Portland ME, and Vancouver WA have also passed rules to block crude oil or coal transport projects.
2. Genesee & Wyoming's Arkansas Midlands Railroad subsidiary will offer the first ethanol unit train solution for petroleum blending markets in the region, according to Tank Storage magazine. The unit train solution will serve the North Little Rock and surrounding markets, serving the JP Energy terminal, which is the largest terminal at North Little Rock's tank terminal complex.
3. HydrocarbonsTechnology.com recently described how chemical distributor Brenntag has been using the OpenTAS terminal management system to load its heating oil and diesel products at its terminal in Britz, Berlin. As a first step, the specialists from the Implico Group set up inventory accounting using the OpenTAS system; the second step was to move to tank truck automation. Processes such as EMCS reporting or the creating of shipping documents for truck drivers are now fully automated, taking just seconds to complete.