Comment EI-33660
Received or sent (printed as 1/17/2025)
Union Pacific Railroad is planning to lease the management of their rail yards in Eugene, Springfield, Marcola and sections of the Coos Line to Central Oregon and Pacific Railroad (CORP), a Class III railroad. Class II and III railroads have limited liability in the case of an accidental spill, fire or chemical accident. These small companies do not hire union workers, and do not require sufficient training of their workers. - CORP’s employees lack the training, experience, and union protections of Union Pacific workers. - Replacing skilled workers with less-experienced, non-union employees increases the risk of accidents and unsafe operations in our neighborhoods. - Union Pacific is responsible for ongoing groundwater cleanup efforts in Eugene. - Will CORP take on this responsibility, or will they abandon these critical environmental protections like they did in Coos Bay? - CORP’s mismanagement of the Coos Bay branch line shows a pattern of failure to maintain infrastructure and safeguard communities. - CORP\'s track record demonstrates negligence in upholding safety, customer service, and environmental stewardship. - The risk of accidents involving hazardous materials increases when safety standards are cut. - A Class III railroad like CORP lacks the financial resources to respond to a disaster, leaving taxpayers to bear the cost.
Submitted by: SUSAN FORSTER · EUGENE, OR
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-36818/comment/EI-33660 · back to the docket sheet