Comment EI-18140
Received or sent (printed as 5/3/2010)
I have reviewed the EIS for the Port MacKenzie Rail Extension and it appears very obvious that the Willow route has the most severe negative impact to the environment in many accounts. It would have huge impacts to all classes of wetlands as well as several creek crossings. The Willow corridor would disrupt prime basically untouched wilderness/forested areas with huge impacts to wildlife. The Houston and Big Lake routes are through fairly populated and developed areas. The Big Lake route would have little impact to the environment, and Houston route would have slightly more impact but still nothing as severe as the Willow route. The Nancy Lake State Recreation Area is a very pristine natural park full of wildlife and scenic Alaskan beauty, but still within close proximity to communities, and also with good accessibility. The State Of Alaska DNR has performed a wonderful job throughout the decades preseverving its beauty and pristiness. Accessing and exploring the park is like going back in time. Its quiet and serene, in a very theraputic way. Constructing a railroad adjacent to it would be a travesty to say the least. Building a railway to a dock that is really unwarranted since we already have rails to three deep water ports in the southcentral area seems like a waste of time and money. The Willow route is also the most expensive and time consuming due to both permitting and construction procedures, having to build through wetlands and creek crossings. As you can tell I am very much opposed to the Willow route, and actually opposed to the extension project in its entirety. I know that the MSB is in a financial bind with many problems to resolve in their fast gromwing communities, therefore I see the railway as a way for them to make revenue in many areas once it is built. However at the stake of ruining a very special wonderful piece of Alaskan splender it is not worth the price we would pay in the end for the loss. It would be a shame. Thank you for your time, and I appreciate your consideration in regard to my concerns. Duane Maney
Submitted by: Duane Maney · Anchorage, Alaska
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-35095/comment/EI-18140 · back to the docket sheet