Comment EI-23640
Received or sent (printed as 6/12/2016)
I'm a concerned resident who lives by Hebron Indiana but in Lake county. I have some serious concerns about Great Lakes Basin Transportation's plan for their toll railway. No.1 The environmental impact to the surrounding areas. This includes several aspects. The loss of valuable top soil, field tile being crushed or torn out which will affect subsoil drainage. In our area, drainage runs from the north of Lake county to the south. Building a at grade level rail system would be like building a dam. Flooding would increase to the north and very productive and fertile farm fields would dry up to the south. With the natural water ways being disrupted, erosion would occur which could affect the rail bed. Who would be responsible for drainage control. Would we the citizens have to pay more in taxes to fix/maintain drainage issues? Water contamination is another huge problem. If a rail accident occurs and tank cars ruptures, what happens? We rely on wells for water resources whether for our homes, irrigation of farm fields and watering of livestock. We cannot get water from Lake Michigan. What about air pollution from the exhaust of up to 110 trains a day. Extra air pollution from farm vehicles having to commute on local roads so that they can get to their fields which the have been cut off from with the railway. 2. Safety is another concern. There a lot of rail tank cars that being used that are hazardous. Who will respond to a rail accident? We have volunteer fire departments in a lot of our communities. They are not prepared or qualified to respond to a rail accident with spilled tank cars. Who is responsible for the clean up. Again what about contamination? Fertile soil cannot easily be replaced. Who loses? The farmer and we do that's who. We saw what happened to to the town up in Canada and the loss of life there. The proposed railway passes very near some quiet and peaceful towns. 3. the at grade crossings will disrupt school bus routes, emergency vehicles(police, fire ambulance) mail deliveries,etc. 4. I frankly do not trust Mr. Frank Patton. He been evasive about this project from the start. He's changed his mind on several issues and is not open with the people who this will affect. Why does he want to take 15,000 acres for a rail terminal when the largest railroad(Union Pacific)uses only 2,850 acres. Mr. Patton has no railroad experience. Thank you for your time in reading this. Christopher Tebbens
Submitted by: Christopher Tebbens · Hebron, Indiana
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-23640 · back to the docket sheet