Comment EI-19529
Received or sent (printed as 1/7/2013)
I am deeply concerned about the potential impact on public health and the environment from the various proposals to transport coal from Montana and Wyoming to terminals on the Pacific Coast for export to Asia. The proposal to build a coal-hauling railroad line through the Tongue River Valley seems especially misguided for two main reasons: 1) it would have negative impacts on the residents, the quality of life, and the environment in the Tongue River Valley; and 2) it would contribute to similar negative impacts for the residents, the quality of life, and the environment in the Pacific Northwest in general. Because the Tongue River Valley rail proposal is part of a larger project to export coal from the US to Asia through ports on the Pacific coast, the proposed Tongue River Valley railroad would have much more extensive impacts. I believe that a responsible EIS will take these impacts into account. For example there are numerous public parks along the rail tracks that the Tongue River Valley rail would be a tributary to. There are also numberous residential neighborhoods and highly populated urban areas within 8 city blocks of the rail tracks in many areas along the Pacific Northwest. What impact would fugituve coal dust and diesel fuel from these additional trains have (on an immediate and cumulative basis) on the health of the public living, working or using the parks within 8 city blocks of the rail tracks? Will residents who live this close to the tracks even be able to keep their windows open in summer without risking a compromise to their health? Will pre-existing health conditions be aggravated by the coal dust/dielsel pollution? What about babies, who have been proven to have weaker lungs and be more vulnerable to resperitory illnesses? Will vegetables grown in gardens close to the track be safe to eat? And what about the emotional impact of that much more noise from that many more one and a half mile long trains carrying coal? Please consider these impacts in your EIS. Thank you for your consideration.
Submitted by: Heidi Madden · Seattle, Washington
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/FD-30186/comment/EI-19529 · back to the docket sheet