Comment EI-23575
Received or sent (printed as 6/9/2016)
As safety officer for the Clinton Fire Dept. in Clinton, Wi I would like to ask that you consider several issues before eventually considering approval of the proposed Great Lakes Basin railroad. Several weeks ago, the Clinton Fire Dept. was dispatched to a tanker rail car that was reported to be leaking product into Turtle Creek, by passing kayakers. The rail car was on an bridge over the creek on the Wisconsin and Southern line. Access to the car was impossible until the train was backed up. The resolution of this incident was that no leak was detected, however with limited manpower available an incident like this involving an actual hazardous spill is very concerning for our small department. I am quite sure that I could easily speak for most small fire departments along the proposed route for the GLB, that we all are concerned about the potential for increased incidents of spills or traffic accidents that could results from a drastic increase in the amount of higher speed trains that could be traveling through our emergency response areas. Even if the DOT ( or any other government agency) were to allot funding to provide additional training and equipment to prepare for the increase in potential incidents, most volunteer departments are already strapped to provide the manpower to properly implement the response necessary for such incidents. Also, the proposal as we understand it, class for at grade crossings at most of the roads in our response area. Most are described to have signals and arms installed at each crossing, but with no audible signal from the train as it approaches. Yet there is an area in the proposal that seems to state that some intersections of the rail line and roads could result in road closings. Such happenings would then greatly affect our response times and residents safety. We are very concerned that if this proposal is approved by the Surface Transpotation Board, that this proposed rail line could then do many things that are not now known to the thousands of residents that could be affected. Please consider the multitude of negative issues that this proposal would undoubtably impose on the residents along this proposed route (or any other proposed route) and vote to reject it.
Submitted by: Leo mullooly · 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-23575 · back to the docket sheet