Rail shipments of large quantities of Bakken crude oil through Snohomish County went up slightly last month while declining in other areas of the state, according to information released today by the state.
BNSF Railway reported 12 trains, each carrying at least 1 million gallons of Bakken oil, passed through the county during the week of June 5. That’s two more trains than the company reported for the prior week of May 29 to June 4.
The higher total is the most recent information given the state per a federal order requiring railroads to provide a “reasonable estimate” of the number of trains carrying more than 1 million gallons of Bakken crude through each county each week and along which routes.
Railroads are not required to provide the specific days and times of shipments. But they must inform the state when the weekly number increases or decreases by 25 percent.
Snohomish County is one of 16 counties in Washington through which BNSF reported moving such large shipments of Bakken crude. Its heaviest oil train traffic occurs in communities in the eastern and southwestern areas of the state.
Data released Monday shows 13 trains traveled in and through Adams, Benton, Clark, Franklin, Klickitat, Lincoln, Skamania and Spokane counties.
In its earlier report, BNSF Railways indicated 19 trains went through Klickitat County and 18 trains through Adams, Franklin, Skamania, Clark and Benton counties.
You can read reports from BNSF Railway and other railroad companies here.
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