Gov. Dayton made my day! Rail, pony up!

March 13th, 2015

Dayton-Wanamingo

I was not happy with the MnDOT Rail Plan, and let them know, particularly that it is not OUR job, “we the people,” to pay for upgrades and safety measures required due to the super volatile Bakken BOOM! oil, and today the Gov. stood up to the railroads.

Here are my Comments:

Overland_Comments_3-10-2015

Here’s that Draft Rail Plan, comments were due Tuesday:

Draft MN State Rail Plan

From today’s STrib, Gov. Mark Dayton is leaning on the railroads:

Dayton pressures railroads to pony up for safety upgrades across Minnesota

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Gov. Mark Dayton is giving railroad companies a tongue-lashing for resisting his tax plan to fund safety improvements.

Seven trains haul North Dakota crude across Minnesota daily. The Democratic governor has suggested a series of tax changes and fees on railroads to upgrade railroad crossings and improve first responder training to prepare for a major accident.

Railroad companies like BNSF Railway have balked at those proposals and suggested they may violate federal laws by singling out their industry.

Dayton brought officials from towns with heavy train traffic to St. Paul Friday to ramp up pressure for his plan. Dayton says railroad companies’ opposition to pay more for safety improvements is “totally unacceptable.”

Majority House Republicans have also signaled they’re not on board with the governor’s proposal.

Posted by Carol A. Overland
Filed in Disasters, Energy, Rail
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