methomyl suppliers The U.S. has seen shale production rebound strongly, continuing a long-running trend towards higher oil production. The shale boom has helped the U.S. slash its import dependence significantly over the past decade or so. But the lack of pipelines reaching the East and West Coasts has slowed the decline of imports. East Coast refiners in particular are still very much reliant on crude imports from abroad.

The surge in shale production from the Bakken, for example, came at a time when there was a dearth of pipeline capacity. That led to a flood of oil on the nation’s railways, a more expensive and more dangerous form of transport. Crude-by-rail shipments from the Midwest (which encompasses North Dakota’s Bakken) spiked to more than 800,000 barrels per day at its height in 2014.

But a buildout of pipelines from the Bakken and other parts of the country, largely aimed at the U.S. Gulf Coast, has significantly curtailed crude-by-rail shipments. The entire U.S. only saw 285,000 bpd move via rail in March 2017, most of which came from the Bakken. Canada chipped in another 183,000 bpd by rail.

pe resin prices The Dakota Access Pipeline probably puts the nail in the coffin for rail shipments. The 470,000-bpd pipeline opens up a major conduit for Bakken crude to reach the Gulf Coast.

In fact, Reuters reports that some major pipeline companies are having trouble filling up their lines, forcing them to offer discounts to producers for spot capacity. While the majority of oil shipped by pipeline is offered under long-term contracts, there is typically still some leftover capacity that is sold to producers at a higher price. But because pipeline operators are struggling with empty space, they are offering discounts in hopes of filling up their lines.