Full Text of SR1746 100th General Assembly
SR1746 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Illinois and Chicago are known as the nation's | 3 | | rail hub and, pursuant to data
provided by the Metropolitan | 4 | | Planning Council, the Chicago region serves as a national | 5 | | east-west
gateway for six of the seven major Class I railroads | 6 | | that transport approximately 25% of all U.S.
freight rail | 7 | | traffic and 44% of all U.S. intermodal "container" units, | 8 | | totaling more than 1.3 million
loaded rail cars annually; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Metra operates 691 weekday trains, stopping at 241 | 10 | | stations on 11 rail lines in the
Chicago region; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Amtrak operates a nationwide rail network, | 12 | | serving more than 500 destinations in 46
states, the District | 13 | | of Columbia, and three Canadian provinces on more than 21,400 | 14 | | miles of routes, with
Chicago being a major hub for most of | 15 | | their interstate services; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, These activities provide vital transit services | 17 | | for Illinois residents, Illinois commerce,
and the nation; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, Actual and projected growth in rail freight, | 19 | | Metra, and Amtrak service continues to
put pressure on existing | 20 | | Illinois rail systems, often creating higher congestion and | 21 | | reduced safety when
passenger and freight share the same rail |
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| 1 | | lines; and | 2 | | WHEREAS, The Illinois Department of Transportation | 3 | | participated in a nine-state planning effort
that resulted in | 4 | | publication of the Midwest Regional Rail System (MWRRS) | 5 | | executive report in
September of 2004, which outlined steps to | 6 | | improve regional rail mobility and stimulate economic
| 7 | | development at an estimated budget of $7. 7 billion; it is | 8 | | unclear what impact has been achieved; and | 9 | | WHEREAS, The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) | 10 | | mandates a process to use either an
Environmental Assessment, | 11 | | or a more comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement, to | 12 | | collect data,
evaluate impacts, review alternatives, and | 13 | | propose project solutions; and | 14 | | WHEREAS, One of the current rail projects being studied is | 15 | | an Environmental Assessment of
proposed improvements to the | 16 | | Chicago-Milwaukee Intercity Passenger Rail Program estimated | 17 | | to cost
$195 million along with increased annual operating | 18 | | expenses to add three daily round trips to the Amtrak Hiawatha
| 19 | | service; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, Several communities, including the Village of | 21 | | Glenview and the City of Lake Forest,
have expressed strong | 22 | | concerns about this Environmental Assessment's lack of data and |
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| 1 | | missing analyses
of potential impacts of, and alternatives to, | 2 | | freight train holding tracks, noise, vibrations, releases into | 3 | | the
air to adjacent residential areas, hospital, schools, and | 4 | | rare nature preserves; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, It is in the public's best interest to fully | 6 | | evaluate the benefits and impacts of rail
projects in Illinois | 7 | | prior to seeking public funding and agency permitting for such | 8 | | projects; therefore, be it
| 9 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL | 10 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that in accordance with the | 11 | | National Environmental Policy Act and, in support of | 12 | | potentially impacted communities in Illinois, all proposed | 13 | | Illinois rail projects with new freight train holding tracks | 14 | | adjacent to residential areas, including the current | 15 | | Chicago-Milwaukee Intercity Passenger Rail Program described | 16 | | above, are urged to have full Environmental Impact Statement | 17 | | reviews; and be it further
| 18 | | RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation | 19 | | is urged to pursue options to eliminate or
minimize the routing | 20 | | of bypass freight traffic through the Chicago metropolitan | 21 | | area, including
prioritizing the review and study of rail | 22 | | bypass systems around Chicago that would ensure coastal rail
| 23 | | traffic not destined for Chicago could more efficiently bypass |
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| 1 | | the Chicago region and significantly reduce
the negative | 2 | | impacts of freight rail in the highest populated areas of | 3 | | Illinois; and be it further | 4 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 5 | | delivered to all members of the Illinois Congressional | 6 | | Delegation and the Secretary of Transportation.
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