Comment EI-2622
Received or sent (printed as 12/28/2006)
DATE: December 28,2006 RE: Docket No. AB-290 (Sub-No. 286) FROM: Allen L. Stevens Jr., President Stevens Transportation Services P.O. Box 15 Union Mills, IN 46382-0015 (219) 767-3144 I recommend that the Surface Transportation Board reject the application by the City of South Bend, et.al., requesting that the board authorize the abandonment of 3.7 miles of railroad lines owned by Norfolk Southern Railway Company. My vocational background is in the trucking industry and that information that I am presenting is based on several years of practical experience. (1) The University of Notre Dame currently uses 80,000 tons of coal per year with anticipated growth to over 100,000 tons in the near future. (2) The average tractor dump trailer combination averages 38,000 lbs. empty weight. Legal truck weight for a 5 axle combination in Indiana is 80,000 lbs..Based on these figures each truck hauling coal to the University can legally haul 42,000 lbs., or 21 tons. At the Universities' current consumption rate it takes approximately 3809 truck loads to meet their coal supply. If anticipated growth leads to the projected 100,000 ton level, it then will take approximately 4762 truck loads to meet demand. (3) A standard work week consists of 5 days multiplied by 52 weeks equals 260 work days per year. Using this figure, to meet the 80,000 ton level would equal 15 truck loads per day. To meet the 100,000 ton demand would equal 18 truck loads per day. Multiply each truck load by 2 signifying a round trip and the number of truck trips to supply the Universities' current coal demand becomes 30 and the number of trips to meet the expected demand becomes 36. (4) Each of the daily 30 current truck trips and the projected 36 truck trips between the university and the transload site on Olive St. must traverse densely populated residential neighborhoods and the heavily congested downtown area of South Bend. St. Joseph county is on the fringe of an EPA non-attainment area. Continuing to run this volume of truck trips that could be eliminated by direct rail delivery is flirting with disaster. (5) Rail shipment of coal is a cheaper, environmentally friendlier and safer way of transporting coal. The University has historically received coal by rail. The railroad infrastructure,which has never been legally abandoned, is still in place to the University of Notre Dame. A buyer and operator with intentions of transporting coal to the university has stepped forward. It is my fervent prayer that the board will reject this application for abandonment. 7620 current yearly truck trips and their negative impact on the environment can be eliminated by rejecting this application for abandonment. Certificate of Service. I verify that I sent, via e-mail copies of this document to the following persons at the following e-mail addresses. jjankows@SouthBendIN.gov and richard.streeter@BTLaw.com
Submitted by: Allen Stevens · Union Mills, IN
The Board publishes this comment in its environmental-comment table for this proceeding. It is quoted here as printed; nothing is inferred from it, and it states the commenter's own position in their own words, not this record's.
Permanent address docketyard.org/d/AB-290/sub/286/comment/EI-2622
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