Full Text of SR0273 96th General Assembly
SR0273 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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SR0273 |
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| SENATE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, Many communities throughout the Chicago area have | 3 |
| already begun experiencing public safety issues and serious | 4 |
| traffic congestion due to the acquisition of the Elgin, Joliet | 5 |
| and Eastern (EJ&E) railroad by Canadian National Railway; and
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| WHEREAS, In Aurora, Barrington, Barrington Hills, | 7 |
| Barrington Township, Bartlett, Deer Park, DuPage County, | 8 |
| Hawthorn Woods, Lake Zurich, Naperville, New Lenox, | 9 |
| Plainfield, and Wayne and Will Counties, along with other | 10 |
| communities along the EJ&E line, Canadian National freight | 11 |
| trains have been blocking critical roadways and creating a | 12 |
| dangerous public safety situation for police, fire, and | 13 |
| emergency vehicles; and
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| WHEREAS, Communities that have agreed to accept negotiated | 15 |
| settlements from Canadian National are barred from publicly | 16 |
| expressing public safety issues and other concerns surrounding | 17 |
| Canadian National Railway's operations on the EJ&E as part of | 18 |
| the terms of the agreements; and
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| WHEREAS, The federal Surface Transportation Board (STB) | 20 |
| has the regulatory authority over railroad acquisitions and | 21 |
| mergers and can assist these communities with this urgent | 22 |
| problem; and
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| WHEREAS, The Surface Transportation Board's three-member | 2 |
| governing body has a vacancy due to the departure of board | 3 |
| member W. Douglas Buttrey in March of 2009; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL | 5 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge President Obama | 6 |
| to appoint a new Surface Transportation Board member quickly; | 7 |
| and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That we state our belief that this STB member | 9 |
| should be someone who will take into consideration significant | 10 |
| community impacts related to public safety, noise, vibration, | 11 |
| traffic congestion, and other environmental concerns when | 12 |
| evaluating railroad acquisitions and mergers; and be it further | 13 |
| RESOLVED, That we further urge President Obama to choose | 14 |
| someone for the STB seat who has extensive knowledge of | 15 |
| transportation, freight, and shipping issues, as well as | 16 |
| someone who can objectively weigh the benefits of railroad | 17 |
| expansion against the infrastructure costs necessary to | 18 |
| mitigate significant community impacts; and be it further | 19 |
| RESOLVED, That we also urge President Obama to choose a | 20 |
| Board nominee who will consider population growth and economic | 21 |
| impact when evaluating railway acquisitions, mergers, and |
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| other Surface Transportation Board regulatory issues; and be it | 2 |
| further | 3 |
| RESOLVED, That we inform President Obama that the State of | 4 |
| Illinois, including the Department of Transportation, will | 5 |
| show preference in the programming of railroad funds and | 6 |
| rail-to-road grade separation project funds to projects where | 7 |
| the federal Surface Transportation Board has ordered a private | 8 |
| entity to partially fund improvements necessary to mitigate | 9 |
| impacts at significantly affected grade crossings; and be it | 10 |
| further | 11 |
| RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be sent | 12 |
| to President Obama, the Chicago-area members of the United | 13 |
| States House of Representatives, the Illinois delegation of the | 14 |
| United States Senate, and the members of the Surface | 15 |
| Transportation Board.
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