Contact: Tina Posterli, 516-526-9371, tposterli@riverkeeper.org

OSSINING, NY – August 11, 2014 – Following recent actions taken by Albany, Rockland and Ulster Counties, the Orange County legislature has passed a resolution with unanimous bi-partisan support, calling for the state to conduct a comprehensive environmental study of the impacts of increased crude oil transport by train, barge and ship through Orange County, and for both federal and state regulators not only to enact stringent regulations governing that transport, but also to explore alternatives to the current means of transporting crude oil down the Hudson Valley.

Prior to the legislature’s taking action on these resolutions, Riverkeeper presented information to Orange County legislators about the risks associated with crude oil transportation in the Hudson Valley and to Orange County communities specifically.

“The passage of these resolutions sends a powerful message to both state and federal government that Hudson Valley citizens and their elected representatives are not willing to idly stand by and wait for a train derailment or barge accident that results in a toxic and potentially explosive crude oil spill in our communities,” said Kate Hudson, Watershed Program Director at Riverkeeper. “The action taken by the Orange County Legislature highlights the urgency of the situation and puts pressure on our government agencies to use their emergency authority to immediately implement measures to put the brakes on this dangerous practice. We applaud Orange County for taking this important stand and encourage other communities to follow suit.”

Riverkeeper is calling for a comprehensive set of actions to protect the public and the environment from the risks of crude oil transportation, including a full environmental review to be conducted by the state Department of Environmental Conservation of proposed crude oil terminal expansions in Albany and New Windsor, and an emergency order to be immediately issued by the federal Department of Transportation banning the use of outdated DOT-111 train cars for the transport of crude oil.