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Voorheesville resident tells video oil train story
Sep 11, 2015 1:00 pm
Environmental Advocates of New York released a video produced by Alana Fiera, Voorheesville resident in Albany County who volunteer with the activist group this summer, and made a video about how more than 50-70 freight trains roll through her hometown every day, many loaded with crude oil. The group says there has been more than 4,000 percent increase in rail cars since 2009 and Fiera attempted to highlight the dangers rail communities face, from lives lost to traffic collisions to possible contamination of local drinking water supplies. “I saw the increase in trains firsthand. In communities like Voorheesville, which was settled along the tracks, it’s impossible not to notice," Fiera said. "But what surprised me was the sheer amount of oil cars coming through, the types of oil they are now carrying, and how little has been done by state and federal leaders despite repeated calls for action by local residents and officials.” The video also includes remarks from Albany County Legislator Herbert W. Reilly, Voorheesville Mayor Robert Conway, Second Assistant Chief David Gannon of the Voorheesville Fire Department, and Steven Schreiber, Chairman of the Voorheesville Quiet Zone Committee.