Rep. Scott Garrett is hosting the meeting in Bergenfield.
BERGENFIELD -- Environmentalists plan to protest a meeting on oil train safety hosted by Rep. Scott Garrett.
Officials from CSX and the Federal Railroad Administration plan to make presentations to officials from towns where crude oil is transported at the forum, scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Bergenfield Municipal Building.
Environmental groups, including the New Jersey Sierra Club and the Coalition to Ban Unsafe Oil Trains, are protesting that they, and the public, were not invited to the meeting.
"Congressman Garrett has shown no interest in stopping these dangerous oil trains from cutting through our communities," Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, said. "Now he is having a closed-door meeting because he doesn't want the public know he has failed to take action."
Paula Rogovin, co-founder of the Coalition to Ban Unsafe Oil Trains, said her group was told they were not welcome at the meeting. Residents living near the train lines carrying crude oil should benefit from the information as well, she said.
Rogovin and Tittel did not identify who tipped them off about the meeting.
Aside from presentations, the forum is to include a question-and-answer period for township officials only, Garrett's office said. Chris Carofine, a spokesman for the congressman, said the forum wasn't intended to be a debate over whether the trains should exist.
Tittel and Rogovin have both called for bans on the oil trains. Rogovin said her group wants a ban on all shipments of crude oil from North Dakota's Bakken oil fields, whether by train, pipeline or barge.
"The fact is there has been an increase in freight trains travelling through our communities, and Congressman Garrett wanted to make sure local officials and first responders had direct contact with federal regulators to better understand the safety protocols and emergency management," Carofine said.
Mayor Norman Schmelz said Garrett has hosted meetings before with mayors along the tracks and railroad officials. The meeting Monday was never intended to be public, he said.
Schmelz said he hoped to hear about the progress CSX has made phasing in newer tank cars with thicker plating. Borough administrator Corey Gallo plans to address other issues the town has with the company, including the cleanliness of their tracks.
Rogovin said she and her group aimed to get inside the meeting. Aside from the Sierra Club and the Coalition to Ban Unsafe Oil Trains, the protest will include members of Environment NJ, the Coalition Against Pilgrim Pipeline and local residents, she said.
"We need openness in our government and we're going to be there to fight for it," she said.
Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.