Distributor Offloads Oil From Barge

Up to 150,000 b/d of Bakken crude oil currently passes through Albany via rail and/or barge on its way to East Coast refineries and other destinations. Read Breaking Energy coverage of rail transport capacity expansion at the Phillips 66 Bayway Refinery in New Jersey here. Some are concerned about the crude oil transport increases Albany is experiencing and want companies responsible for infrastructure project expansions, like Global Partners, to be more transparent about their plans. [New York Times]

News that the Obama administration recently approved 3 oil & gas development projects that would include hydraulically fractured well completions off the coast of California is getting lots of attention in the state. This editorial argues fracking could bring economic benefits in the form of tax revenue to a state government that could use additional funding sources. [U-T San Diego]

A slew of energy infrastructure projects – including LNG export terminals, power transmission lines, new hydroelectric dams and oil & gas pipelines – proposed for Kitimat, BC on Canada’s west coast are bumping up against aging local infrastructure not fit for an influx of heavy machinery and associated construction equipment. “Now, though, the current population of 8,300 is expected to explode within a decade as Kitimat becomes a global energy hub. The proposed Northern Gateway pipeline would end in Kitimat, and there are plans for three new LNG export terminals, which will need 20,000 construction workers.” [The Globe and Mail]