Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Local Government Response to GLB Rail Project—Chronology

 

---------------------This is a work in progress-----------------------------

All of these letters, email and other communications to the Surface Transportation Board can be found on:  ttps://www.stb.gov/ect1/ecorrespondence.nsf/PublicIncomingByDocketNumber/342DDDDC33E9EF3085257FAF006A8251?OpenDocument

Below is from:  https://www.stb.gov/ect1/ecorrespondence.nsf/PublicIncomingByDocketNumber/87AC30BB95908E7E85257F81004388C5/$File/EI-21487.pdf?OpenElement

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Below is from:  https://www.stb.gov/ect1/ecorrespondence.nsf/PublicIncomingByDocketNumber/A9406A7450319E2485257F810043F836/$File/EI-21488.pdf?OpenElement

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Below is from:  https://www.stb.gov/ect1/ecorrespondence.nsf/PublicIncomingByDocketNumber/97169D7319C5048B85257F810045AD35/$File/EI-21495.pdf?OpenElement

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Below is from:  https://www.stb.gov/ect1/ecorrespondence.nsf/PublicIncomingByDocketNumber/61A0AE85D07115B385257F9B006F22F6?OpenDocument

Docket #:
FD 35952 0

  Name of Sender:
Julie Newhouse
Date Received:
04/13/2016

  Group:
Date of Letter:
04/13/2016



Submitter's Comments

To: David.Navecky@stb.dot.gov
From: Julie Newhouse <newfarm@t6b.com>
Date: 04/13/2016 07:49AM
Subject: Re: info on winnebago-boone routes for GLB?
And I apologize for the conjecture on my part- Ms. Johnson-Ball did not state that mitigation cost was an issue.  I just assumed that would be the reason one could not build a train across environmentally sensitive areas (likely wetlands I assumed).
I have watched zoning for many years- only to discover farmers are not allowed to change wetlands- but development sometimes is allowed to engineer around them.
On Apr 13, 2016, at 6:34 AM, Julie Newhouse <newfarm@t6b.com> wrote:
That clears up a great deal- thank you-
How he informed both you and Boone County- through the media- displays to me a great deal about his business style and character.
Happy Trails through the midwest, I wish we were lush with growing crops right now- we are much more beautiful for traveling.
On Apr 12, 2016, at 10:43 PM, David.Navecky@stb.dot.gov wrote:
Ms. Newhouse -
Mr. Patton, with Great Lakes Basin Transportation, Inc., did not provide us with the revised route until March 7, 2016.  However, we were aware that the route may have been shifted to the east side of Rockford into Boone County sometime in January or February, I don't recall specifically.  That's because Mr. Patton did not relay that information to us directly.  Rather, we saw pictures of a revised route in news articles we saw posted on line.  Apparently he was showing the revised route to reporters or other interested people before he eventually provided it officially to the STB on March 7, 2016.
You can find the material that was provided to us on March 7, 2016 (via its legal counsel, Venable) here on our project website:
http://www.greatlakesbasinraileis.com/links_docs.html
It's under "Selected Applicant Filings."
By the way, in November, we asked Mr. Patton to look for ways to avoid an environmentally sensitive area we discovered during our field trip.  We did not mention costs for mitigation nor did we suggest he move his proposed route out of northern Winnebago County.  He and his team came up with the revised route in Boone County on their own.
Thanks,
Dave
Dave Navecky
Office of Environmental Analysis
Surface Transportation Board
395 E Street SW
Washington, DC 20423
202-245-0294
www.stb.dot.gov
-----Julie Newhouse <newfarm@t6b.com> wrote: -----
To: david.navecky@stb.dot.gov
From: Julie Newhouse <newfarm@t6b.com>
Date: 04/12/2016 10:42AM
Subject: info on winnebago-boone routes for GLB?
Dear Mr. Navecky,
We spoke briefly last evening in Manteno.  I also spoke to Ms. Johnson-Ball.
She mentioned the story of how and when the project got transferred to Boone County. Saying it was November 2015 that an on-site investigation by the STB believed that the Winnebago route would be too costly to mitigate and told Mr. Patton he should determine an alternative route.  Ms. Johnson-Ball could not recall the date if it was late January or early February when Mr. Patton returned with the Boone County route.  But the timing of that date and then how and when that was made public is the information I am looking for.
She said the documentation for that decision could be found on the internet site- and I am unable to locate it.
I am particularly interested in the timing-
Some people in our county seem to be distracted by the issue of who knew what and when and are failing to focus on the task you have given us.
I am hoping they can buckle down and grant you the information that would be helpful in your quest to draft a quality environmental impact statement.
I do have one question on procedure.  In our county if a special use is considered the applicant must contact all those properties involved and the neighboring property.  If the STB had required GLB to do that we would not have some of the anger that exists because people were not informed.  No one- not the county board nor landowners wants to read something in the newspaper or hear it on the TV that their rights may be taken away.
It is impossible to submit environmental concerns or questions if the landowner- who may live in another state or residing in assisted living, etc, is not made aware their property is being examined as a potential development.
Thank you for your time.  You were very professional last night and I was thankful to travel the two hours to greater understand the process and what is helpful.
Julie Newhouse
Capron, IL

 

Below is from:  https://www.stb.gov/ect1/ecorrespondence.nsf/UNID/5350AB6F31EC676385257FAE00523608/$file/EI-22465.pdf

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Below is from: https://www.stb.gov/ect1/ecorrespondence.nsf/UNID/342DDDDC33E9EF3085257FAF006A8251/$file/Resolution+01-16+Opposing+Rail+Line.pdf

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Below is from:  https://www.stb.gov/ect1/ecorrespondence.nsf/PublicIncomingByDocketNumber/BD49E90A76BE093285257FB6006788FB/$File/EI-22740.pdf?OpenElement

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Below is from;  https://www.stb.gov/ect1/ecorrespondence.nsf/PublicIncomingByDocketNumber/7A98FAD95FFEA66F85257FBF00479D12/$File/EI-22974.pdf?OpenElement

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Below is from:  https://www.stb.gov/ect1/ecorrespondence.nsf/UNID/A110247B75493CD085257FC400702806/$file/EI-23076.pdf

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