Comment EI-33665
Received or sent (printed as 1/17/2025)
I am concerned about Union Pacific\'s (UP\'s) plan to lease the rail yard operations 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 do not hire union workers, and do not require sufficient training of their workers. A Class I rail company such as UP employs union workers who are trained in rail yard operations and track maintenance, train handling, and emergencies. UP also has the revenue to deal with a clean-up, damage, or other kinds of problems at the railyard or the associated tracks, which is important because UP is already responsible for ongoing groundwater cleanup efforts around the rail yard in Eugene. As a resident of a nearby neighborhood, I am concerned that leasing operations to a smaller, non-union company might put clean up at risk, damage the local labor market, and increase the risk of future spills and accidents. Obviously, the risk of accidents involving hazardous materials increases when safety standards are cut, and a Class III railroad like CORP lacks the financial resources to respond to a disaster, leaving taxpayers to bear the cost. CORP’s mismanagement of the Coos Bay branch line shows a pattern of failure to maintain infrastructure and safeguard communities, so they should not be given control over another rail yard.
Submitted by: Jocelyn Prier · 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-33665 · back to the docket sheet