Environmental Groups Want NY To Release Information On Rail Shipments Of Crude Oil
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Environmental groups are demanding access to information on the shipments of crude oil by rail.
Concern over the shipment of volatile Bakken crude oil following an explosive and deadly wreck last summer in Quebec led to a federal order in May, requiring railroads to provide information to states.
Environmental Groups Want New York To Release Information On Rail Shipments Of Crude Oil
CSX, a major shipper along the rails in the Hudson Valley, said they have turned over information to New York State as required, but Riverkeeper's Phillip Musegaas wants to see the details.
"I want to make sure the orders are getting complied with and that first responders and the state are getting the information," Musegaas told WCBS 880's Paul Murnane. "We also want to make sure that the railroads are not attempting to withhold this information from the general public."
CSX told WCBS 880 that the information they turned over is "sensitive, security and commercial information."
"The goal of our request is to find out what the status of that information is and to make that information public," Musegaas said. "We believe the public has a right to know when and where these shipments are coming through their communities."
Two environmental groups insist this is about safety and not the larger debate on fracking.
"People live and work right along these rail lines where these trains carrying this explosive crude oil are coming right through their communities," Musegaas said.
A state spokesman told the Times Herald Record this week that they have yet to decide on the freedom of information request.
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