The U.S. oil industry pushed back Tuesday against tougher rules for rail cars carrying crude following a string of fiery accidents, asserting in a new report that oil from the Northern Plains is no more dangerous than other cargoes. But the results of the industry-funded study differ from the stance of the federal government, which issued a safety alert in January warning the public, emergency responders and shippers about the potential high volatility of crude from the Bakken oil patch. The oil from North Dakota and Montana is comparable to other light crudes, with characteristics that fall well within the margin of safety for the current tank car fleet, the industry study says. Kari Cutting, vice president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council, said it proves federal rules “are sufficient.� But a former senior federal railway safety official disagreed and said recent accidents are enough to justify government intervention. “We already have examples of this particular crude going ‘boom,’� said Grady Cothen, former deputy associate administrator for safety at the Federal Railroad Administration. “That’s how it has to be treated from a regulatory standpoint despite the distinctions being made� by oil companies. Oil trains in the U.S. and Canada were involved in at least eight major accidents during the last year, including an explosion of Bakken crude in Lac-Megantic, Quebec that killed 47 people.

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