Comment EI-24930
Received or sent (printed as 7/14/2016)
I am writing to oppose the Great Lakes Basin Transportation Corporation Rail Line project that is to run 278 miles from Indiana to Wisconsin. I live in Salina Township, Kankakee County, Illinois which would be part of this proposed route. The proposed route would run thru prime farmland, reduce property values and adversely effect the existing system of state, county and township roads. The loss of agriculture income in our county is projected to be in the millions. The proposed rail line will not make up for that loss of income. In our township, the proposed route would cut our township in half. Our volunteer fire department and rescue personnel would be unable to respond quickly to emergencies on either side of the proposed tracks. When a rail disaster occurs, our local emergency personnel would not have the resources to deal with the aftermath - cleanup of hazardous materials, cleanup of surrounding land from spilled chemicals. The proposed route would create landlocked farmland and disrupt the field tile drainage systems of the existing farms. The safety of every farmer would be in jeopardy each time they have to try and cross tracks with their farm equipment. Rural communities rely on wells for drinking water. Every well near this rail line would be adversely effected by leaking rail cars and potential spills of toxic materials. There would be added danger for our local school children with the many rail crossings the buses would have to navigate every day. The trains moving thru our area would bring in weeds and noxious plants from other areas which would lower production of crops. The proposed route cuts thru the Kankakee River State Park. The Kankakee River was recently designated as a National Recreational Trail - one of only three water trails in the state of Illinois. Having 110 trains a day crossing the river and going thru the State Park would adversely effect the park and the river. The trail system would be truncated and some of the camping areas would be unusable due to noise and vibration. The possibility of hazardous material leaking and spilling from the train cars could ruin the park and river for generations to come. The many water fowl that nest in the area would be driven away. White tail deer, turkeys, pheasants, raccoons and other species that live in the park and the surrounding area would all be adversely affected. The Rock Creek area is also part of this rail line - another waterway that would be potentially ruined for the next generation. There doesn't seem to be any proof provided that this rail line is needed. The CREATE program currently in place is addressing the same issues. Why not give that program time to work? How can a privately funded individual or corporation be allowed to destroy so much just to line their pockets with money? How can a privately funded individual be allowed to destroy part of a State Park that is available for everyone to use just to generate corporate profits? How can a privately funded individual be allowed to use eminent domain to take private property for public use when he's just going to make money from it? Please put a stop to this proposed rail line!
Submitted by: Martha McLaren · Bonfield, 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-24930
File docketyard.org/document/11cf1d0a721ebb09c967e72543a760b783502fde23cb991ecb74109b9b7ba35b.bin · back to the docket sheet