ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The expansion of crude oil processing at the Hudson River Port of Albany, which has become a major hub for rail shipments of volatile North Dakota crude to coastal refineries in the last two years, will be halted by a moratorium issued Wednesday by Albany County Executive Dan McCoy.

The order requires a health impact study by the county before Waltham, Mass.-based Global Partners is allowed to add facilities to heat rail cars to liquefy thick crude like that mined in western Canada’s tar sands. That plan, along with Global’s major increase in rail shipments through the city, has drawn intense criticism from port-area residents, environmental groups and local politicians.