The city of St. Paul hosted a public forum at the Battle Creek Rec Center on Tuesday night to discuss Canadian Pacific Railway’s planned expansion of its rail yard, which borders Pig’s Eye Lake.
Some 80 residents attended, and asked for a show of hands to determine how many of them were opposed to the project, just about everyone lifted five fingers in protest of the proposal. (At least the palms were open, not balled up in fists, right?)
State Rep. Sheldon Johnson, DFL-St. Paul, went so far as to say that the Environmental Assessment Worksheet for the project did not go far enough, and that a lengthier, more intensive Environmental Impact Statement needs to be conducted.
Here’s a few highlights from the meeting, with video. Comments on the project are due April 30, but here’s another selection.
Among the concerns raised, filling in six acres of wetlands by Pig’s Eye Lake and the Mississippi River didn’t sit well with folks, and neither did tearing down some four acres of woodlands. A noise study found that train noise exceeded state, though not federal standards, at least on occasion.
So the residents have spoken, mostly unhappily. In the interest of fairness (and the Scoop is always fair and balanced), here’s today’s (April 24) reaction to the public reaction from Ed Greenberg, a spokesman for CP Railway:
We found Tuesday’s meeting to be a valuable opportunity for our railroad to hear firsthand feedback from residents. We are taking the comments seriously and want to move forward in working more closely with the local community.
CP maintains this project is to make our St. Paul Yard more efficient for train operations, which will also reduce train congestion and idling, as well as noise related to switching operations. If the project proceeds, the existing six tracks will be extended so CP can handle longer trains more efficiently.
CP is going through the necessary due diligence and environmental reviews to ensure all checks and balances are covered. The point of the Environmental Assessment Worksheet is to identify any potential impacts from the project and then outline the steps we are going to take to mitigate or avoid impacts. We are committed to this process.
Regarding concerns over wetlands, our railroad is working with officials from the City of St. Paul and Department of Natural Resources and other stakeholders in ensuring mitigation efforts are put in place to address the local wetlands.
The noise testing conducted for the EAW did not identify any non-compliance issues with federal noise standards applicable to rail yards. In fact, as the study determined, Highway 61 and other rail operations in the area also contribute to overall noise levels. Over the years, the Federal Railroad Administration was brought in to conduct decibel level testing in the area of our hump operations on the request of city and state representatives and the sound level testing showed CP is in compliance with national standards.
CP has taken steps to try to address feedback from area residents, including undertaking several operational initiatives to reduce noise associated with switching activities. This includes using quieter types of brake shoes, noise reduction panels and the installation of a computerized brake control system. CP uses what is known as “low noise” retarder brake shoes at St Paul Yard. These are special, more expensive brake shoes, specifically designed for Canadian Pacific for use at St Paul Yard in response to neighbor’s requests.
Did the Scoop mention that comments on the project are due April 30? Yes, yes we did.