Chemistry test: How blow-up-able is Bakken oil?

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Matthew Staver | Bloomberg

Natural gas is burned off near Watford City, North Dakota, in the Bakken field.

Mark Reilly

Managing Editor- Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal

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As regulators prepare new rules for transporting potentially volatile oil from North Dakota by rail, they're relying on tests for explosiveness that critics say are measuring the wrong thing.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Canadian officials, and even some oil-industry executives, say that a long-standing test for oil volatility that measures gases in crude— gas is much more likely to explode than liquid oil — has methodology problems.

The concern is that the tests might allow gas to escape before the measurement happens. As an Exxon-Mobil engineer puts it, that's like measuring fizz in a soda can after you've opened it.

RELATED: Why does North Dakota oil explode so much?

The North Dakota Industrial Commission is expected to rule today on any new steps it'll require of oil producers. Federal agencies have already called for tighter rules.

Mark Reilly manages daily and weekly coverage at the Business Journal newsroom.