Comment EI-24875
Received or sent (printed as 7/14/2016)
After studying some of the impacts that come with the building of the proposed GLBT railroad, I respectfully insist the proposed GLBT rail line be denied.The rail line is designed to transport over 2000 hazardous materials and chemicals, one of which is dilbit(diluted bitumen with peatane or natural liquid gas) from tar sands in Alberta Canada. It has been found that this same explosive mixture (72% bitumen 28% diluent) being used in pipelines is also being loaded into tankcars. This mixture is just as explosive as that from Bakken crude,with a lowered flash point from 330'F to 95'F, which makes the mixture a traveling bomb! Both Bakken and dilbit would be allowed to be shipped on the proposed GLBT rail line. When these trains derail and explode, they cannot be extinguished due to excess heat and must be allowed to burn themselves out which can take as long as a week. New proposed rules from the US Transportation Regulator incorrectly assumes the tar sands crude is not being mixed with diluent and is therefore safe to ship via railcar. They are proposing a scheme to move the oldest tank cars(dot-111) to Alberta to haul this exp[losice crude, instead of requiring these cars to be more robust and safer in case of derailment. When one of these trains derails on the GLBT line, Lowell Indiana volunteer fire department isn't capable of dealing with it. If by slim chance it doesn't explode, the leaking crude will leach into surrounding soil and contaminate well water for everyone sharing that aquifer. Since I live in Lowell, Indiana there is no alternate source for drinking water other than well water. How would any company be able to remove the crude from the aquifer, and who could do it? In addition the tank cars are constantly leaking their cargo and that goes into the soil and the air polluting our pristine area. According to Rob Gillies of the Associated Press, leading Rail Industry Representatives say it would take a decade to retrofit and modify 50,000 tank cars,not 3 years anticipated by US Federal officials. Also US government predicts trains hauling crude will derail an average of 10 times a year over the next 2 decades, which equals 200 derailments. In my area there are flood plain issues that will be exaggerated from the interruption of natural water flow due to rail construction. The air quality will suffer from heavy diesel particulates(some of the worst pollution for human and animal lungs), which carry for miles in the air. It would be a huge disaster for everyone near this unnecessary rail line if it is allowed to proceed forward. Please don't allow it. Thank you! Mike Kastner Lowell, Indiana
Submitted by: MICHAEL KASTNER · LOWELL, 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-24875 · back to the docket sheet