Comment EI-22207
Received or sent (printed as 4/21/2016)
See attached file. WEST CREEK TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE HAROLD MUSSMAN, JR. TRUSTEE 11821 WEST 185TH AVENUE – PO BOX 84 LOWELL, INDIANA 46356 Email: wctpcts1-5@att.net 219-696-9432 RE: Docket No. FD 35952 April 21, 2016 RESOLUTION OPPOSING THE PROPOSED HIGH SPEED RAIL LINE BY GREAT LAKES BASIN TRANSPORTATION, INC. AT A MEETING OF THE WEST CREEK TOWNSHIP ADVISORY BOARD HELD ON THURSDAY APRIL 21, 2016, A RESOLUTION OPPOSING THE PROPOSED HIGH SPEED RAIL LINE BY GREAT LAKES BASIN TRANSPORTATION, INC. WAS APPROVED AND SIGNED BY THE TRUSTEE, HAROLD MUSSMAN, JR. AND BOARD MEMBERS MICHAEL McINTIRE, PRESIDENT; CHRISTOPHER KENDER, SECRETARY AND PATRICIA KOPAS, MEMBER. THE RESOLUTION CITES NUMEROUS REASONS WHY THE RAIL LINE IS BAD FOR THE RESIDENTS OF WEST CREEK TOWNSHIP. 1. EMERGENCY SERVICES WOULD FACE SERIOUS DELAYS AND OBSTACLES RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES DUE TO THE VOLUME OF TRAINS (UP TO 110 PER DAY) USING THE PROPOSED TRACKS AND POSSIBLE ROAD CLOSURES. THESE DELAYS WILL RESULT IN LOSS OF LIFE AND LOSS OF PROPERTY DUE TO FIRES. 2. TRI CREEK SCHOOL CORPORATION WOULD BE NEGATIVELY IMPACTED WITH THE HIGH SPEED RAIL LINE CARRYING OVER TWO THOUSAND (2,000) PLUS TYPES OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS BORDERING THE LOWELL MIDDLE SCHOOL AS WELL AS ONE OF ITS ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. THE DANGER FROM POTENTIAL SPILLS, DERAILMENTS AND JUST THE PROXIMITY TO THE SCHOOLS IS A SERIOUS DANGER TO THE STUDENTS AND RESIDENTS IN THE AREA. THIS IS HIGH SPEED TRAFFIC WITH TRAINS TRAVELING AT SPEEDS UP TO SEVENTY (70) MILES PER HOUR. 3. STUDENTS AT ALL OF THE TRI CREEK SCHOOLS WILL SPEND MORE TIME TRAVELING TO AND FROM SCHOOL EACH DAY DUE TO THE VOLUME OF TRAINS THAT WILL BE RUNNING EACH DAY. STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES ATTENDING THE SCHOOLS WITH THE TRAIN NOISE WILL SUFFER FROM THE DISTRACTIONS. LOUD NOISES ARE HARMFUL TO STUDENTS SUFFERING FROM AUTISM. 4. FURTHER MORE, THE LURE OF THE RAILROAD TRACKS CAN RESULT IN ACCIDENTS OR DEATH TO STUDENTS WHO WALK ON THE TRACKS. SMALL CHILDREN WHO LIVE CLOSE TO THE TRACKS CAN WANDER AWAY FROM HOME AND END UP ON THE TRACKS. 5. THE ASSESSED VALUATION OF PROPERTY IN WEST CREEK TOWNSHIP WILL BE NEGATIVELY IMPACTED HURTING LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND SERVICES. THE LAKE COUNTY ASSESSOR WILL NOT BE THE ASSESSING BODY FOR THE PROPERTY TAKEN BY THE RAILROAD, INSTEAD THE INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND FINANCE WILL BE DOING THE ASSESSING. THE STATE IS BEING ENCOURAGED TO TAKE MORE CONTROL OF OUR LOCAL ASSESSORS DUTIES. THE STATE WILL REAP THE REVENUES FROM THE PROPERTY AND PERSONAL PROPERTY FORCING OTHER TAXPAYERS IN THE TOWNSHIP TO PAY MORE TAXES TO MAKE UP FOR THE SHORTFALL. NO ONE WANTS HIGHER TAXES AND REDUCED ACCESS TO SERVICES. 6. THE DANGERS FROM POTENTIAL ACCIDENTS, SPILLS AND DERAILMENTS LOOMS LARGE AND WE OPPOSE PUTTING THE RESIDENTS IN WEST CREEK TOWNSHIP IN A PERILOUS POSITION. THE TRAIN WILL ENTER WEST CREEK TOWNSHIP ON THE STATE LINE JUST SOUTH ON 185TH AVENUE RIGHT NEXT TO THE NIPSCO NATURAL GAS PUMPING STATION THAT FEEDS TWO (2) THIRTY (30) INCH NATURAL GAS PIPELINES. THIS IS A VERY HIGH PRESSURE LINE AND THE PROXIMITY OF THE TRAIN TO THE PUMPING STATION MAKES IT VERY DANGEROUS FOR EVERYONE CONCERNED. THE RELIEF VALVE AT THE PUMPING STATION RELEASES NATURAL GAS INTO THE AIR AND THE DANGER FROM SPARKS OR DERAILMENT IS AN EXPLOSION THAT COULD BE CATASTROPHIC. AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT COULD HAPPEN CAN BE FOUND BY GOOGLING THE “LAC-MEGANTIC RAIL DISASTER” THAT OCCURRED ON JULY 6, 2013. WITH NO ONE REGULATION THE RAIL CARS, ENGINES AND MATERIALS BEING TRANSPORTED, THE DANGERS ARE VERY REALISTIC. WE OPPOSE THIS LACK OF OVERSIGHT. 7. LAND VALUES IN THE AREA WILL DROP DRAMATICALLY. FARMERS WILL LOSE THEIR LIVELIHOODS OR HAVE IT SEVERELY DIMINISHED IF THE RAIL LINE GOES FORWARD. MANY FARMS WILL BE DIVIDED BY THE TRACKS MAKING PORTIONS OF THEIR FARMS IMPOSSIBLE TO GET TO OR IF THEY CAN BE ACCESSED BY ANOTHER ROUTE THE DANGER OF CROSSING THE RAILROAD TRACKS WITH LARGE FARM EQUIPMENT WILL CREATE A SERIOUSLY SAFETY HAZARD FOR THE FARMERS. SOME MACHINERY COULD GET CAUGHT ON THE RAILS WHILE DRIVING OVER THE CROSSING OR THE VOLUME OF TRAFFIC ON THE LINE COULD MAKE CROSSING WITH ENOUGH TIME TO GET EVERYTHING OFF THE TRACKS BEFORE BEING STRUCK BY A FAST MOVING TRAIN. THE TRAINS PLAN TO TRAVEL AT SPEEDS UP TO 70 MILES PER HOUR WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR TRAINS TO PASS EVERY THIRTEEN (13) MINUTES. 8. MUCH OF THE INCOME DERIVED IN WEST CREEK TOWNSHIP COMES FROM AGRICULTURE. LAND TAKEN OUT OF PRODUCTION IS LAND LOST FOREVER. THE ECONOMY OF THE TOWNSHIP WILL BE HINDERED BY THE LOSS OF FARM INCOME. 9. NONE OF THE MAJOR RAIL CARRIERS PLAN TO LEASE THIS RAIL LINE FROM GREAT LAKES BASIN TRANSPORTATION, INC. THAT BRINGS INTO QUESTION PURPOSE AND NEED. WE SEE NO VIABLE PURPOSE AND NO NEED FOR THIS RAIL LINE TO GO FORWARD WITHOUT A COMMITMENT FROM SOMEONE TO ACTUALLY USE IT. 10. DRAINAGE IS A HUGE ISSUE WHEN SOUTH LAKE COUNTY AND SOUTHERN WEST CREEK TOWNSHIP IS IN A FLOOD PLAIN. BUILDING THIS RAIL LINE WOULD CREATE A DAM SEPARATING THE NORTH SIDE OF THE RAILS FROM THE SOUTH SIDE. OUR WATER SHED IN WEST CREEK TOWNSHIP FLOWS TO THE KANKAKEE RIVER. WATER FLOW WOULD BE REDUCED HURTING THE RIVER AND THE WILDLIFE AND ENVIRONMENT THAT DEPENDS UPON THAT WATER. FIELD TILES THROUGH FARMS WILL BE BROKEN CAUSING FLOODING OF FIELDS THAT WILL DESTROY CROPS. 11. TRAIN DERAILMENTS ALONG THIS LINE COULD EASILY CONTAMINATE GROUND WATER AND IN TURN THE WATER IN THE KANKAKEE RIVER. WATER IS OUR GREATEST RESOURCE, WE CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT IT. THE RESIDENTS OF THE TOWNS IN ILLINOIS ALONG THE KANKAKEE RIVER GET THEIR WATER OUT OF THE RIVER. THAT WOULD CREATE A DISATEROUS SITUATION. IN SUMMARY THE PROPOSED RAILROAD WOULD BE BAD FOR THE PEOPLE OF WEST CREEK TOWNSHIP AND ADJOINING AREAS. WE ARE REQUESTING THAT THE SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD DENY THIS PROJECT. THEREFORE THIS BOARD HAS APPROVED AND SIGNED THIS RESOLUTION AND WILL PRESENT IT TO THE SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD (STB). THIS RESOLUTION WILL BE ON FILE IN THE OFFICE OF THE TRUSTEE OF WEST CREEK TOWNSHIP. SIGNATURES ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬HAROLD MUSSMAN, JR. – WEST CREEK TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE, LAKE COUNTY, IN MICHAEL R. McINTIRE, BOARD PRESIDENT CHRISTOPHER KENDER, BOARD SECRETARY PATRICIA R. KOPAS, BOARD MEMBER
Submitted by: Harold Mussman, Trustee · West Creek Township · Lowell, IN
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.
The text Resolution by West Creek Township.pdf ↓
Permanent address docketyard.org/d/FD-35952/comment/EI-22207
File docketyard.org/document/398def479cfd101e01117be16f0469d91f65cbe2565ae6735d91e87cf88eb6df.pdf · back to the docket sheet