City Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown has called an environmental hearing at Philadelphia City Council to discuss safety precautions regarding crude oil.

Awareness about the dangers of oil transport has increased nationwide since last Monday, Feb. 12, when a train carrying Bakken crude oil derailed in West Virginia causing a large fire that forced many from their homes. A similar derailment also occurred last week in Ontario, Canada.

An Inquirer investigation revealed that up to 80 trains move crude oil through Philadelphia each week, and some 700,000 people live within a half-mile radius of these rail lines, putting them at risk in the event of a derailment.

The hearing will likely be set for mid-March, though no date has been confirmed. A spokesperson from Reynolds Brown’s office said they want to give testifiers time to prepare, in order to make the hearing “as big and comprehensive as possible.”

The names of presenters and their talking points haven’t been released yet.