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Residents Demand Transparency Following Train Derailments

As crews continue clearing derailed train cars, including crude oil tankers, from a bridge over the Schuykill River in Philadelphia, the incident has amplified regional concerns about safety.

With shipments of crude oil continuing to roll through populous areas in Pennsylvania, environmental groups and lawmakers are calling for more information.

From Philly, StateImpact Pennsylvania's Katie Colaneri explains that lawmakers and residents want these large corporations to be more transparent, and give detailed accounts of the kinds of chemicals passing by their homes. 

She says the problem may not be solely with the corporation’s safety measures, but with the new larger quantity of shipments and subsequent worker mistakes.

“The fact is, with this boom in production in the Bakken Shale, they’ve ramped up rail shipments and the more trains you have on the rails, the higher chances for accidents. A lot of those accidents because of human error.”

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