Matthew Hamilton in The Albany Times-Union reports that State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli wrote a strongly-worded letter to the head of the federal Department of Transportation, asking officials to increase oil train safety measures. "Any train accident involving crude oil or other hazardous materials creates the risk of significant human trauma and disruption to communities," DiNapoli wrote in a seven-page letter to USDOT Secretary Anthony Foxx. "The possibility of an accident on the scale of the Lac-Mégantic (Quebec) tragedy is not only a significant hazard to New York residents and environmental resources — it is also a financial threat. A higher consequence incident would not only deplete the state's mechanism for funding cleanup of petroleum spills, but could also divert funding from other vital services." Currently, many oil trains race up and down alongside the Hudson River each day in the WGXC listening area. DiNapoli, as comptroller, oversees the state Environmental Protection and Spill Compensation Fund, which holds up to $40 million for spill-related disasters. He says filings from CSX and Canadian Pacific leave, "open questions about the companies' insurance coverage for large-scale accidents." Read the full story in The Albany Times-Union.