The federal government has ordered railroads to give states details about shipments of volatile crude oil from North Dakota's Bakken Shale region, but New York officials haven't decided whether to share that information with the public.
The Associated Press and eight environmental groups filed Freedom of Information Law requests with the state Office of Emergency Management this week. They argue that it's in the public interest for communities to know more about the shipments. There were eight major accidents during the last year, including one that killed 47 people in Quebec.
The state agency said it will respond to the information requests within 20 days.
Crude oil is hauled into New York from the Midwest en route to coastal refineries, much of it coming to the Port of Albany.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press
