Riverkeeper Applauds Ulster County Passage of Resolutions to Protect Communities against Risks from Crude Oil Transport
May 21, 2014
Riverkeeper Team
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tina Posterli, 516-526-9371, tposterli@riverkeeper.org
OSSINING, NY – May 21, 2014 – Last night, the Ulster County legislature passed two resolutions, with unanimous bi-partisan support, calling for a federal ban on the use of faulty DOT-111 cars to transport crude oil by rail, and for the state to conduct comprehensive environmental reviews of the impacts of proposed expansions of oil terminal operations in Albany and New Windsor.
Prior to the legislature’s taking action on these resolutions, Riverkeeper presented information about the risks associated with crude oil transportation in the Hudson Valley and to Ulster County communities specifically.
“The passage of these resolutions sends a powerful message to both state and federal government that we are not willing to idly stand by and hope that a toxic crude oil accident doesn’t happen in our community,” said Kate Hudson, Watershed Program Director at Riverkeeper. “The action taken by the Ulster County Legislature highlights the urgency of the situation and puts pressure on our government agencies to enact immediate measures to put the brakes on this dangerous practice. We applaud Ulster County for taking this important stand and encourage other communities to follow suit.”