Comment EI-23621
Received or sent (printed as 6/10/2016)
I am writing to express my concerns about the environmental impact of the Great Lakes Basin Rail Project. This project should not proceed without a thorough and complete impact study done by a third party. These are the concerns that have not been addressed by this project: 1. A great deal of surface soil and trees will be needed to build the track and fly-over grades which will destroy the habitat of much wildlife and plant life. 2. Underground field tile lines which drain excess water from the farm land and conservation areas would be disturbed or crushed under the weight of the construction equipment, track and trains. This will cause flooding which could again drastically change the surrounding farm fields. Will their be sufficient escrow funds to cover such circumstances? 3. The grade on the track will disrupt surface water flow, too, which will cause flooding, ponding and erosion in the nearby fields, rendering them unusable to the land owner. These stagnant pools will be breeding grounds for mosquitos and rodents. 4. The safety of the population will be at risk if one of the many chemical and oil tankers derails. Will local fire departments be given training and equipment to handle these kind of spills? Ground and water contamination would likely result from such a derailment. 5. The proposed path of the tracks goes close to the town of Bonfield. Just 3 miles south of Bonfield is a huge underground dome that stores millions of cubic feet of natural gas. Could the impact of a large train explosion rupture the numerous pipelines going into the dome or cause an explosion in the dome itself? If that happens the entire county will be leveled due to the size of the facility and the number of pipelines that are close to towns. There is also an oil tank farm 2 miles from the gas dome. What will happen to those tanks if rail cars start exploding? 6. Vibration and noise from all the trains will disrupt animal and plant life as well as be harmful to people. Since the route is less than a mile from Bonfield grade school, how will the project control these 2 factors so that there is not a negative impact on the children @ that school. 7. The proposed areas of this rail project are the home of several endangered species and plants. For example, bald eagles, northern long eared bats, Sheepnose mussels, eastern Prairie Fringed Orchid, and Leafy Prairie Clover. My overall impression of this project is that there has been insufficient studies of the feasibility, economic and environmental impacts done. Many incorrect assumptions have been made as opposed to thorough research. As a result this project will end up costing a lot more than what the development company has predicted and the chance of the project becoming bankrupt before it is even completed is very real. So what happens then? The land, water, animals and human lives will be irrevocably changed for nothing. There will be no benefit for them, the investors, or the surrounding communities. This project should not go forward.
Submitted by: Doris OConnor · Bourbonnais, IL
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-23621 · back to the docket sheet