A coalition of environmental groups and city residents has filed a legal petition seeking a ban on older model rail tanker cars carrying volatile crude oil from North Dakota to the Port of Albany.
The petition filed Tuesday by a group represented by Earthjustice asks Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens to issue an order prohibiting receipt of crude in DOT-111 tank cars at the port.
A DEC spokesman said the federal government has sole authority to regulate oil transport by rail.
The federal DOT has proposed phasing out these cars, which have been involved in a series of catastrophic explosions. Earthjustice has a legal case against the government for an emergency ban on the old cars.
