Comment EI-19615
Received or sent (printed as 1/8/2013)
Docket No. FD 30186 I understand that On December 17, two months after submitting an application for a new rail line, and after all of the public hearings, the Tongue River Railroad submitted a new application to the Surface Transportation Board. The new application makes it perfectly clear, this coal is intended to go through the proposed west coast terminals and off to Asian markets. The newest route would build the railroad from Otter Creek to existing rail lines in Colstrip. The proposed Tongue River Railroad and Otter Creek Mine are dependent on each other and that Arch Coal leased 1.3 billion tons of coal in the Otter Creek area. It has now told the state it wants a permit for an even larger area, over 18,000 acres in total. If that coal is dug up and hauled off, the burning of the coal will result in over 2.6 billion tons of greenhouse gases going into an already overloaded atmosphere. This last minute change should not be allowed. At the very least the new route request should trigger reopening the public comment period and holding a hearing in Colstrip. There should be full analysis of the effects climate change will have on Montana and the nation and to analyze harm to existing agricultural operations and livelihoods along the new route.
Submitted by: Shawn Wall · Portland, Oregon
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-19615 · back to the docket sheet