HR1187 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1187 LRB095 20628 GRL 49155 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, On October 30, 2007, the Canadian National Railway Corporation, along with its wholly owned U.S. subsidiary, the Grand Trunk Corporation, filed an application with the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) seeking approval to acquire the Elgin Joliet and Eastern West Company (EJ&E); and

WHEREAS, The proposed acquisition by Canadian National Corporation (CN) would involve shifting a significant amount of train traffic that currently moves over CN rail lines in the City of Chicago to sections of the EJ&E rail lines west and south of the City of Chicago, including a segment that runs through the counties of Will, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, and Cook; and

WHEREAS, The EJ&E runs through numerous "bedroom communities" that are homes to many residential neighborhoods and schools; with 133 grade-level crossings, some with no gates, along the rail line, these communities are not equipped with the rail crossing infrastructure to handle a massive increase in freight traffic, nor do they have the tax authority to build the infrastructure that is needed for these communities to remain viable for commuter lifestyles; and

WHEREAS, Some communities will experience more than 700% increase in the quantities of federally designated hazardous materials routed through their municipalities; these dramatic increases will require significant financial investments by local emergency agencies to prepare for potential hazardous material spills, not to mention the increased health risk to residents in neighborhoods the EJ&E travels through; and

WHEREAS, These counties are experiencing exceptional population growth, including Kendall and Will Counties, which are two of the fastest-growing counties in terms of population growth in the nation; and

WHEREAS, With exceptional growth in rail traffic, concerns have been voiced regarding delays in emergency services, such as ambulances and fire-prevention vehicles, due to the significant increase of train traffic in these communities; and

WHEREAS, Increased freight traffic will inevitably cause delays in response to 9-1-1 calls due to blocked railroad crossings that are at grade level throughout the region; a fire doubles in size every minute, and a delayed response to a structure fire of 5 or more minutes could mean the difference between rescuing fire victims and fire fatalities, not to mention minimal property damage versus total destruction; and

WHEREAS, On top of these existing concerns with the proposed EJ&E merger, some communities will experience freight train traffic every 35 minutes, which will cause significant increases in congestion and safety concerns; and

WHEREAS, Using the City of Barrington as an example, a total of 646 vehicles currently experience delays at the four main Barrington crossings on the EJ&E in a 24 hour period; it is estimated that under CN's operating plan, which was submitted to the STB in this acquisition's application, by the year 2010 3,397 vehicles will experience delays at the same four main Barrington crossings in a 24 hour period due to increased rail freight and road traffic; and

WHEREAS, CN's purchase of the EJ&E line could potentially harm the implementation of the STAR line, a planned expansion of commuter rail that will help more than a million suburban residents get to work faster as road congestion continues to snarl suburban roads; Metra planned to run the STAR line along the existing EJ&E tracks that CN is proposing to purchase; without access to the EJ&E tracks, the STAR line could be shelved indefinitely; and

WHEREAS, With 133 grade crossings, some with no gates, along the EJ&E, the needed investment in infrastructure improvements is prohibitively expensive; conservative estimates indicate that 50% of those crossings would need an underpass/overpass built at an estimated cost of $40 million per crossing; the necessary infrastructure improvements would amount to almost $3 billion; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that emergency response times in the affected areas would be significantly marginalized causing, in some cases, serious injuries or even deaths; and be it further

RESOLVED, That as a result of the EJ&E merger, the dramatic increase in hazardous material to be transported through residential and commercial neighborhoods that consist of millions of citizens, including hospitals and schools, pose grave consequences in the event of an accident; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the acquisition of the EJ&E by Canadian National Corporation should be denied by the federal Surface Transportation Board because of the health and safety hazards it will produce for the citizens of the affected communities; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Chairman of the Surface Transportation Board, the President of the Canadian National Railway Company, the Chairman of the Will County Board, the Chairman of the DuPage County Board, the Chairman of the Grundy County Board, the Chairman of the Kane County Board, the President of the Cook County Board, the members of the Illinois Congressional delegation, the Administrator of the CREATE program, the Secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Chairman of the Illinois Commerce Commission, and the President and the Chairman of the Chicago Transit Authority.