Fire burns Monday night after oil train derailment in W.Va. Steve Keenan/AP

The Cuomo administration has proposed boosting New York’s oil spill fund to $40 million amid the recent surge in railroad shipping and dangerous derailments, while transferring authority from the state comptroller to its own environmental staff, the Associated Press’s Michael Virtanen reports.

The increased funding is supported by the comptroller’s office and environmentalist groups. Shifting control to the Department of Environmental Conservation is not.

The DEC said it would be more efficient for the agency doing the cleanups to administer the fund. The comptroller’s office said its staff provides stronger and independent oversight that’s focused on actual spills.”

The past few years have seen a major spike in U.S. shipments of oil from the Midwest and Canada. Much of it is more volatile than normal because of high natural gas content, some is more dense and can sink in water and some is more difficult to remove, according to the comptroller’s office.

Full story: ALBANY, N.Y.: Cuomo proposes oil cleanup fund increase, shift in control