Comment EI-22424
Received or sent (printed as 5/6/2016)
[Valparaiso] I am addressing my additional concerns with the proposed freight train R.R. which is planned to pass through south Porter Co., where I live. This morning, while traveling 35 minutes to north Porter Co. where I work, I traveled over SIX (6) sets of R.R. tracks. Please note that two of my routes take me parallel to the R.R. tracks for quite a few miles each. I travel this way every day, twice each day, Monday thru Friday. Very seldom do I ever see even one train on any of these tracks during my 35 minute trips. So, I do not understand why we are in such a need for another R.R. track through our county, when we are not using the R.R. tracks we already have positioned here. Just wanted to point this observation out. Additionally, I work for a trucking company. I cannot even imagine how many trucking companies are in the N.W. Indiana and Chicagoland areas. There are thousands of people who depend on their jobs in the trucking industry. So, I understand Mr. Patton has stated that millions of trucks will be taken off the roads with this proposed R.R. How many jobs in my area will be lost due to this new R.R.? I understand that not even one job will be created for Porter Co. residents. Yet we will have to trade our lands for our residents' inconveniences, the farmers' loss of crops, drainage issues in farmer fields and the property of residents, our children's safety due to bus-train and car-train issues, pollution issues, possible well water contamination, longer response times for the fire departments and ambulances in our area. Let me mention, too, that the small volunteer fire departments in the areas where this new R.R. is proposed do not have the capabilities of handling tragedies such as train fires, derailments, spills, etc. Who is going to help them handle these issues and buy them all the equipment they will need to handle these types of problems? The residents? The same ones that are not obtaining even one job or one dollar from this venture? The same residents who may have lost their jobs because they worked in the trucking industry or are suffering decreased earnings because they are farmers whose fields have been affected? The same residents that will be suffering from pollution, noise and vibrations of trains which were not in our areas when we moved here? The same residents who have lost children and family members due to car-train or bus-train accidents? Yes, those are the ones who will bear the increased costs of better fire department equipment. Not the people who are proposing this new rail line.
Submitted by: Janet Koutelas · Valparaiso, 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.
Permanent address docketyard.org/d/FD-35952/comment/EI-22424 · back to the docket sheet