Comment EI-32371
Received or sent (printed as 9/28/2022)
As a resident of Roselle, I am concerned by the findings of the draft stating that impacts on the affected environments would be “negligible”. My residence is located along Irving Park Road, across the street from the rail line, and I am well aware of every time a train comes through because I can feel the vibration from inside my home. Many of the homes located near the rail line are older homes and this issue is not unique to Roselle. My business is also located along the rail line. The existing rail traffic causes a disruption to my business due to the noise and vibration from passing trains, as well as a disruption to my customers from vehicle traffic. While these issues may seem negligible to you, I would gladly invite you to spend a day at either my residence or my business to truly understand these impacts for yourself. The substantial increase in rail traffic will disrupt daily life of residents along the rail lines and cause extended commutes, delayed emergency response and prolonged bus rides to/from school for our children. I am also concerned regarding the dismissive language used in section 3.1 regarding hazardous materials. The report states, “OEA expects that the number of hazardous material releases along rail lines and at rail yards would remain low if the Board authorizes the Proposed Acquisition.” This is unacceptable. Primarily because any hazardous material release will have an potentially unknown environmental impact, but also because the level of these materials being released remaining low is not something that can be guaranteed. This is a real concern for the people who will be impacted by this merger. Without additional resources being given to emergency management programs in the affected communities, no one can state that the impact of a possible incident will be negligible.
Submitted by: Jennifer Crowley · Roselle, 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-36500/comment/EI-32371 · back to the docket sheet