Repost from WNYT, Albany NY

Ralliers outside governor’s office call for ‘bomb train’ ban

By: WNYT Staff, 05/07/2015 6:35 PM

ALBANY – Governor Andrew Cuomo likely receives a lot of mail.

However, on Thursday an attempt was made to hand deliver a letter to the Executive Mansion.

If you’re Andrew Cuomo, you’re only as good as your last decision and the group “People of Albany United for Safe Energy,” or PAUSE that was thanking the governor for his fracking ban, returned to their main mission — a bomb train ban.

The rally outside the Governor’s Mansion in Albany’s South End is just blocks from where the so-called bomb trains are stored and where they travel the rails on their way to and from the Albany port.

“We are unsafe. We have millions of gallons of oil coming in to Albany every day,” argued Sandy Steubing of PAUSE.

The group’s protest Thursday comes one day after six oil cars caught fire and exploded in North Dakota. The town was evacuated and no one was hurt, but each derailment — five in as many months — highlights the need, believe activists, for an oil train ban in New York.

“It is no longer a matter of if, but when. Joins in doing everything you possibly can to eliminate the ‘when’ from our lives,” urged Andrew Tarwerdi, also of PAUSE.

Last week the federal government announced new rules which it maintains will strengthen the safe transportation of flammable liquids by rail. The oil and rail industry has already announced it will challenge the rules in court.

“The derailment is a wakeup call that the industry needs to work on a solution and stop fighting the changes,” declared New York Senator Chuck Schumer.

The pause activists don’t think the federal regulations go far enough, soon enough, anyway. The hope is their letter, delivered to Governor Andrew Cuomo will convince New York to ban bomb trains

“Are we going to continue to let these trains explode and ruin our communities and kill our people,” asked Wille White, a South End advocate.

It’s important to note that in North Dakota, it was a really small town, only about 20 people had to be evacuated.

If there were an explosion in Albany, during the day when all the commuters are in town, the evacuation numbers would be in the thousands.

The state trooper outside the Governor’s Mansion said he could not take the letter.

So, it will have to be mailed after all.