I'm glad the Maryland Department of the Environment has blocked Targa's permit to run a new crude oil train through Baltimore City ("State denies permit for Baltimore crude oil terminal," June 3).
Unfortunately, crude oil trains are already a threat to the city. They run through packed neighborhoods and past hospitals and community centers. They even run beneath the Inner Harbor and alongside the tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay.
One of these trains has derailed somewhere in North America every month this year. It's only a matter of time before a crude oil train derails in the city.
We have the power to keep these dirty and dangerous trains away from our communities. At 6 p.m. on July 8, a public hearing will be held by the Baltimore City Council on the impact of crude oil trains in the city. I urge everyone who lives in Baltimore or loves the city to attend.
These trains shouldn't continue to run through the city without the public knowing the risks they pose. The City Council needs to immediately stop all crude oil shipments out of Baltimore until we have a chance to make our voices heard.
Kiernan Colby, Silver Spring