Comment EI-21750
Received or sent (printed as 3/31/2016)
Dear Mr. Navecky, When I do the math this project will consume 6700 acres of prime farm land. Many more acres will be disturbed or destroyed during construction as the construction company will need huge amounts of gravel for proper grading. Railroads will have the legal authority using eminent domain to tap this resource as the construction process moves forward. I am sure that black dirt and clay will be stock piled and laid down after the gravel will be removed. Land owners would be paid for the gravel but the foot print of this project is huge. This disturbed land will take years or may never produce as much as before. Just looking at 6700 acres x 150 bushel of corn per acre=1,005,000 bushels of corn in lost production per year. With corn at 3.50 per bushel this project would pull $3,517,500 out of the affected farm economy per year. Corn at $7.00 would pull twice that amount out of the affected farm economy. You can do the math and see the huge socioeconomic impact that this project would have on the farm economy over time. Personally I do not see the socioeconomic value of destroying 6700 acres of farm land, pulling millions of dollars out of peoples pockets so a for profit company can move freight faster around the South side of the city of Chicago. Thanks for your consideration in not granting a permit for this project. Best Regards, Mark Melin
Submitted by: Mark Melin · Clinton, wi
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-35952/comment/EI-21750 · back to the docket sheet