The crude oil tank cars that derailed in North Dakota earlier this week were carrying crude that had been treated to reduce volatility, although the tank cars themselves were older models that have been targeted for replacement. “Hess Corp. spokesman John Roper said the company’s oil complied with a state law that requires propane, butane and other volatile gases to be stripped out of crude before it can be transported. That conditioning process lowers the vapor pressure of the oil to reduce the chance of an ignition during a crash. … Despite the treatment of the oil, six cars caught fire in Wednesday’s derailment 2 miles from the town of Heimdal. The town was evacuated but no one was hurt.” [AP via Fuel Fix]

While not a race when safety and reliability are concerned, there is certainly competition among companies developing Australian LNG export projects. “Origin Energy has pushed back its target for “sustained production” from the first of two LNG trains at APLNG from the September quarter to the December quarter. The revelation was made in slides from a presentation managing director Grant King gave to a Macquarie conference in Sydney yesterday. The company also dropped its target of start-up “around mid-2015” and is instead aligning with the not necessarily different “September quarter” target touted by its partner, ConocoPhillips.” [The Australian]

The advent of LEDs and other high-efficiency, long-duration light bulbs has shattered the business model of many traditional light bulb manufacturers. “The 10-year lifespan of an LED has killed the classic light-bulb business, where manufacturers could depend on consumers buying replacements every three years. The consultant McKinsey expects the global lighting market to grow by 5 percent this year and next, and then slow to 3 percent annually through 2020. Wolfgang Dehen, the CEO of Osram, the world’s second-biggest lighting company, resigned last year after admitting he had underestimated the pace at which sales of traditional lightbulbs would decline.” [Bloomberg]