Comment EI-19644
Received or sent (printed as 1/8/2013)
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 3 main reasons. The first is the negative impacts on the residents, the quality of life and the environment in the Tongue River Valley. The environmental impact statement should analyze the following items: Public convenience and necessity: This proposed railroad is not for the public convenience and necessity," which is required in order for a body to get the the power of eminent domain and condemnation authority. This railroad would serve only one coal company giant, Arch Coal, which intends to sell the coal to China and other Asian countries. The impact statement must also look at impacts on property values. The project would devalue property and infringe on property rights. This railroad will cause fires, spread weeds, devalue property, particularly river front property, will make ranching and farming more difficult and expensive, will split ranch land in half and separate fields from the river and will shift the liability of train crossings to the land owner. In addition, the impact statement must look at the impact on wildlife. The Tongue River Valley is rich in wildlife habitat and home to elk and mule deer populations as well as many birds. Industrializing this valley with a railroad and the coals strip mine it serves will seriously degrade this excellent sportsman and environmental resource. Flooding must also be considered. The railroad bed will act as an earthen dam and potentially worsen the flooding problems now experienced in Miles City in the winter with ice jams. Noise will also be a problem with the loud trains. The study should look at the impact on infrastructure and traffic. Taxes will rise, train traffic will cause traffic delays, noise, and diesel and coal dust pollution. The only way to deal with this will require expensive overpasses and safety crossings with the costs being passed on to the taxpayers. The second reason this project is misguided is that there will be similar negative impacts for the residents, quality of life and the environment in the Pacific Northwest in general. Because it is part of a larger project to export coal from the US to Asia through ports in the Pacific Northwest, the proposed Tongue River Valley railroad would have extensive impacts. I believe that a responsible EIS will take all of the above these impacts into account for all of the communities that will be impacted. I don't live on the river but I live on Bellingham Bay and am concerned about the coal dust and diesel pollution affecting my health and I am worried about the increased noise pollution from the 20 trains per day that are being projected. I already have interrupted sleep from the current ones. I'm concerned about my property value since I live 2 blocks from the tracks. I'm worried about the crossings being blocked while the trains are passing through town and I am concerned that I will have to pay much higher taxes that the railroad company will pass on for rail infrastructure. The third and final reason I feel this venture is misguided is that the coal is going to China to be burned in polluting plants further destroying the environment and the dirty air will blow back to us and further damage our health and property. If this project is allowed to happen, the quality of life for all of us in these communities will forever be ruined."
Submitted by: Elizabeth Durnford
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-19644 · back to the docket sheet