What’s the deal with oil trains?

We’ve tackled the oil train dilemma in Philadelphia previously, and there’s a new documentary about the problem.

PennFuture recently partnered with student and activist Jeremy Griffin to create a documentary on Pennsylvania oil trains. Griffin lives within the oil train blast zone (like more than 700,000 Philadelphia residents that live near an oil train route).

So what’s the big deal? PennFuture notes many problems including poor oversight of railroad bridges, a lack of transparency, and minimal access to rail maintenance records in PA. The Delaware River Basin watershed provides drinking water to more than 15 million people, so the potential disaster would be huge.

Watch the full documentary is below and read more on PennFuture.

PennFuture Oil train Documentary

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Julie Hancher is the co-founder and Executive Director of Green Philly, an independent media organization making sustainability accessible, affordable and actionable. Since launching Green Philly in 2008, she has grown it from a passion project into a leading voice for local climate storytelling, pairing impactful journalism with community events and experiences. Julie is a frequent speaker on climate, media innovation and the future of local journalism, and is the creator of SustainPHL and EcoFair. Outside of Green Philly, you can find her hiking, biking, traveling, or exploring Philadelphia. View all posts by Julie Hancher