The number of crude oil rail cars passing through Oklahoma and other energy-rich states declined last year in the U.S. as oil prices fell. That’s according to the Association of American Railroads.
The group said 410,249 carloads of crude were carried across the U.S. last year which represented a decline from the 493,126 carloads in 2014. However, the 2015 total was still more than 9,500 carloads moved across the nation in 2008 before the Bakken oil boom in North Dakota and Montana. The increase of oil tankers in the past several years also resulted in more fiery accidents and calls by consumer groups and government agencies to increase safety on the rail roads. It also drew attention from consumer groups and journalists monitoring such movements. The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality began making records available on the movement of oil tankers through Oklahoma.
