The oil-rich Bakken formation stretches across western North Dakota and northeastern Montana and into the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Figure 4-3 shows the U.S. geographic region and the major highways and railroad lines that support exploration in this region. In 2013 total output from this region grew to more than 1 million barrels of oil per day (BPD) from less than 200,000 BPD in 2007. North Dakota accounts for more than 10 percent of total U.S. oil production and is the second largest oil producing state, after Texas [USDOE EIA 2013].

Bakken oil production has broad implications for the transportation system. For example, it has increased large-truck traffic by 40 to 50 percent on rural roads in the region. As a result, the highway network has deteriorated more quickly under the heavy traffic to and from the well-heads, which can require up to 2,300 drilling-related truck trips [UGPTI 2012].

Once drilled, oil from the Bakken formation is transported from the well to a processor via truck to a pipeline or rail transfer facility, while natural gas is moved by gathering pipeline to a trunk connection. In North Dakota, pipelines move roughly three-quarters of the oil harvested from wells [TOLLIVER 2013].

Injuries involving large truck crashes in the region have increased by 1,200 percent from 2008 to 2012. Oil from the Bakken region is a hazardous material and poses a risk, especially as oil is transported through grade crossings and populated and heavily trafficked areas [TOLLIVER 2013].