PORTLAND– A railroad says it has increased the number of oil trains per week moving through Central Oregon.
The records, released by the state, show BNSF Railway ran up to three oil trains weekly through Deschutes, Jefferson, Klamath, and Wasco counties. The company previously reported moving only one oil train a week through Central Oregon.
The increase comes as the West Coast receives unprecedented amounts of crude oil from the Bakken formation in North Dakota and Montana.
In May, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued an emergency order requiring railroads to notify states about the volume, frequency and routes of trains carrying 1 million or more gallons of Bakken crude.
BNSF already moves up to three trains a week through Multnomah County. Pacific Western takes those BNSF trains through Columbia County.
