OLYMPIA — Environmentalists planned to pack the Thursday night public hearing in Olympia on the safety of oil train shipments through Washington.
The Washington Environmental Council told The Olympian more than 600 people indicated they planned to attend.
About 200 people attended a similar hearing Tuesday night in Spokane.
The state Ecology Department is gathering public comment on the Oct. 1 draft of its study of the risks of shipping oil from North Dakota to refineries and ports in Washington. Nearly 3 billion gallons of crude oil will move through the state on trains this year. That volume could triple within five years.
Gov. Jay Inslee will use the final report to develop recommendations to the 2015 Legislature.
The meeting starts at 5 p.m. at the Olympia Red Lion hotel.
