Comment EI-14195
Received or sent (printed as 9/30/2008)
I am vehemently opposed to the acquisition of the EJ&E by Canadian National Railway. Please consider the devastating effects to our region by this foreign company. They claim there are benefits to the United States, but that is untrue. They will be taking into their deep water ports on the Pacific, goods that now come into our California ports (which are shallower). They then will be transporting by rail these goods across western Canada then down through Minnesota to Illinois. We have the infrastructure for their rail lines to go through the inner ring of suburbs into Chicago now. This has taken over 100 years to build with federal, state, and local funding. This is not available out in the further out suburban areas of Chicago. They (CN) expect the taxpayers to pay for the 30+ bridges, etc., at a cost of $70 to $100 million each. This is to improve their company,and hurt American interests. On a personal note, this will affect the regions environment, safety, and way of life. There are no alternate roads to get around 2 1/2 mile long double decker trains in the suburbs. Emergency help will not be able to respond in time in most of the towns. The homes along this small EJ&E will be ruined, by either pollution, devaluation, and vibration. This ruins the water table of all our towns that depend on well & sceptic. The environmental issues are enormous to our prairies and ponds along with the large amounts of animals. Please PLEASE REJECT THE APPLICATION BY CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAY OF THE EJ&E. It is our life, homes, and the regions future that is in your hands. They just want to make more $$$$ for a foreign company to transport their goods faster from the Pacific to the Gulf of Mexico. They already have profits of over $80million last year. I realize that the CN doesn't have to submit to you their safety record in Canada. But it is abismal. They are soon to go to court re: a train crash from a few years ago. The Canadian government is sueing them, because they haven't taken the steps necessary to clean up the mess they caused from poor safety. PLEASE DO MORE RESEARCH ON THIS HORRIBLE COMPANY! Lastly, my home is 46feet from the tracks to our lot line, and 119feet to my home. Can you imagine how it will be to live here with the horns, vibrations, pollution, and unsafe conditions. Right now it is a small putt putt 4 small trains per day that are about 100 feet in length. They project it will be 24.8 double decker trains per day with a lenth of 10,000+ (which is over 2miles long). There is only forest preserves and open fields here for miles and miles. Therefore there are no alternate routes for anyway around. Please, please, SAY NO!
Submitted by: Deborah Schoen · Wayne, Illinois
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-35087/comment/EI-14195 · back to the docket sheet