Comment EI-19890
Received or sent (printed as 1/11/2013)
To Whom it May Concern, I am a resident of Livingston, Montana, a rural railroad town on the banks of the Yellowstone River. This is a quiet town that attracts hundreds of tourists every year because of its iconic beauty and close proximity to Yellowstone National Park. We boast some of the best freshwater fly fishing on the longest undammed river in the US. I am deeply concerned about the impacts of the new railroad proposed to transport coal from southeast Montana, through my town, through nearby communities, and to Asian markets. We have already seen immense increases in train traffic over the past few years. The increased traffic brings with it noise, congestion, and dust. The railroad tracks split our community in half. We have several traffic lights in town to control traffic at the railroad crossings, but we are not prepared to deal with the significant increase in train traffic this project contemplates. Increased traffic and congestion leads to accidents and endangers the pedestrian traffic in our downtown. The Surface Transportation Board must seriously evaluate the cumulative impacts from this project on Montanan railroad communities like Livingston. As a small community, we likely do not have the resources we need to deal with the increased train traffic through the middle of our town. I have a one-year-old son that loves to see the trains. He shouts and covers his ears. They are loud and exciting, but we are happy when they pass and we can continue our walks through one of the parks on the railroad in our downtown community. Additionally the increased trains bring noise and dust that further pollute our community. The train passes through downtown Livingston. Several very popular restaurants sit on the railroad, including the famous Montana Rib and Chop House. The outdoor seating in these areas is uncomfortable and loud when a train passes through town. With the increased train traffic these outdoor seating areas may be unusable. During the summer months Livingston hosts a farmer's market and artists markets in the park adjacent to the railroad tracks. This is important community space to Livingston that may no longer be usable as a result of increased train traffic. I work as an architect in a firm downtown in a historic railroad building. Our community has been built around the railroad. We value the beauty the old railroad buildings add to our community. I am concerned that many of these old structures could be impacted negatively by the increased traffic on our railroads. I respectfully request that the Surface Transportation Board analyze the impacts of increased train traffic on rural Montana railroad communities, including communities like Livingston that rely on tourism and the iconic beauty and quiet of our community for our economic livelihood. I also respectfully request that the Surface Transportation Board consider the cumulative impacts from burning the billions of tons of Montana coal to increased carbon in our atmosphere. This project will facilitate significant increases of carbon in the atmosphere. The increase of carbon in our atmosphere and resulting impacts from global climate change threatens the United States economy, security, and health. Not to mention the tourist based industry that the community of Livingston depends upon--healthy rivers, snow in the mountains, abundant wildlife and biological diversity. I hope that I can look forward to a future where I can teach my son to fish in the Yellowstone, take him skiing in the Bridger Mountains, and see grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park. All of these activities are threatened by climate change. Climate change that this project has the potential to greatly exacerbate. Finally, the Surface Transportation Board must consider impacts to the Yellowstone River. Thank you for your time and consideration. Best regards, Bill Zanoni (and on behalf of Luke Zanoni)
Submitted by: Bill Zanoni · Livingston, Montana
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-19890 · back to the docket sheet