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Rail Oil Shipping Raises Safety Concerns In Albany

Environmental groups and residents are trying to stop a project that they believe will make Albany a key hub in the transport of heavy crude oil from western Canada's tar sands to refineries on the East Coast.

Over the past two years, the Port of Albany has become a major shipping point for highly explosive crude oil from North Dakota's Bakken Shale region. Hundreds of tanker cars arrive daily from the north and west on Canadian Pacific and CSX rail lines.

Now Global Partners wants to install boilers at its Albany terminal to heat rail cars carrying heavy crude, which doesn't flow well in cold weather. Environmental groups, residents and local officials say that would make Albany a hub for risky Canadian tar-sands crude.

Global has not said whether the facility would handle tar sands oil.

The Department of Environmental Conservation said it will review Global's operations.

Copyright 2014 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.