Comment EI-22686
Received or sent (printed as 4/26/2016)
To all that this concerns, My name is Scott Nystrom. My wife and I own the farm on the South/East corner of Winnebago County in Illinois. When a local farmer notified us of a railroad potentially impacting our farm on Wednesday 4/13/16, we looked up the route and were shocked that someone would think they could violate us in such a way. After hours of research and contacting numerous bodies of government, we uncovered vital information. Frank Patton and Jim Wilson of GLBR filed an updated narrative route with the Office of Environmental Analysis/ Surface Transportation Board on 3/7/16. In DETAIL, the letter explains routes the train will follow, and why alternate routes were not preferred. Our farm is located at MP 186-188 on Frank and Jim's detailed description. Frank and Jim list MP 180-190 as one large section. Here is the exact information they put for why alternative routes were not chosen for this section. Several impediments preclude this alternative, including adjacent wetlands and hunting areas, and a gradient issue on the Illinois-Wisconsin border." INSTEAD, they chose a route for MP 186-188, that land locks our entire farm. The route also closes off our road. As you can see from the picture attached, which came directly off of the GLBR website, this route indeed goes directly through wetlands and prime hunting areas. To be more descript, the planned route goes first, through hundreds of thousands of dollars of established nursery tree stock. Then, it crosses land in a CRP program to prevent erosion. Then, it goes through acres of wooded areas which are also prime hunting grounds. Then, it not only crosses wetlands, but it crosses the South branch of the Kishwaukee River. This area has a volatile 990 foot flood plain that continues to grow due to development in neighboring counties. Frank and Jim's detailed environmental interface for this route states exactly this, " The route goes through greenfield farmland and passes some residences and farmsteads. NO WETLANDS, WOODED AREAS, OR WATERWAYS would be affected by this segment. Again, they state for the image attached below, from their website, that in this segment no wetlands, wooded areas, or waterways would be affected. We feel that you, the Surface Transportation Board, have an obligation to immediately stop this project! It is not possible to conduct an accurate environment study, when the GLBR gives false information regarding the environmental impact of the routes. We feel with this vital information, if you choose to license the GLBR to run a multi-track, Class 1 railroad, hauling toxic material/oil/fertilizer etc., you the Surface Transportation Board, will be equally as liable for the catastrophic environmental impact this will have, and the hundreds of thousands of lives this will negatively impact. The GLBR lacks leadership, and needs to be held accountable for the false information given to you, the Surface Transportation Board. They lied to us, they lied to you, and they have no credibility. There is no excuse, in a project of this caliber, that any information can be "overlooked". If mistakes like this are happening in phase 1 of this project, as vital as this is, there can be NO phase 2! We trust you will look at all of the information and make the right decision- NO! Scott Nystrom Nystroms Nursery, Inc. 4910 Stone Quarry Rd. Belvidere, IL 61008 815-547-1000 office www.nystromsnursery.com scott@nystromsnursery.com"
Submitted by: Scott Nystrom
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-22686 · back to the docket sheet