Comment EI-25937
Received or sent (printed as 4/26/2017)
I oppose the Great Lakes Basin Railroad for many reasons. My family's health and safety is my first concern, especially for my six year old. Cancer? Contaminated and poisoned drinking water? Unsafe air quality? Danger of explosions?! Even more toxins to be placed within our soil? We've worked so hard to finally have a piece of nature's beauty, peace, and tranquility only to have be ripped from under us. What about the children who attend Shirland School, the school our child attends? Can they possibly concentrate with the insane amounts of noise pollution a train will create? The children in our small community don't deserve the best? How safe are they to attend a school that is merely a mile from a hazardous train, let alone live near one that we never wanted in the first place? What about the the environment, particularly the endangered species, that depend on our rivers, forests, and prairies? Speaking of rivers, we have three important rivers in Rockton and Shirland that will be put at great risk, and WILL be polluted. These rivers eventually flow into other main rivers that affect well beyond our region. The Rock River is already a pollution threat and has a severe need to be cleaned as is. Adding more to it's dirty waters will make it even more dangerous, not only to us, but to those affected along the Mississippi River, as The Rock is a tributary. Remember, the Mississippi drains into the Gulf of Mexico, which will spread through it's waters. The pollution that fills the air will eventually rain back down into our soils and crops throughout Earth. This isn't just a regional problem, it's a global problem. Many more species, thousands of acres of land and farms, and billions of other people beyond our counties will be affected and at risk by the railroad and the dangers it possesses to our waters and skies. What jobs does this railroad track bring that don't already exist? Jobs that are needed when ours are destroyed? We have a very well built farming community that provides jobs to the young, and teaches them how to become farmers themselves, to provide food for people and animals. We have land for hunting and fishing, as well as homesteads and gardens, to be self sufficient. Williams Tree Farm, Hoo Haven, youth camps, campgrounds, forest and prairie preserves, etc. are all well established, provide jobs, and will continue to grow as long as we continue to fight against GLBRR. It's okay to take away jobs to claim to bring jobs? That makes no sense! We have jobs! They are jobs that are very important to our food structure, social and economic structures, and they affect beyond our communities. I am against the Great Lakes Basin Railroad, not just here, but everywhere! They are a danger no matter where they decide to lay their dangerous tracks.
Submitted by: Katie Wicklund · Rockton, 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-25937 · back to the docket sheet