Opponents of DM& E expansion speak out

By CHRIS VETTER

Journal Staff Writer

NORTH MANKATO -- Railroad expansion east of New Ulm would be detrimental to residents who live in the area and a hazard to the environment, say opponents of railroad reconstruction.

However, other area businesses said the new railroad is vital to the future of New Ulm and rural Minnesota.

A cross-section of opinions were shared Wednesday on the proposed Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern (DM&E) rail expansion project. The Surface Transportation Board's Section of Environmental Analysis held a public hearing in Mankato. More than 200 people attended the meeting, coming from as far away as Owatonna and Marshall.

Jim Scheman of New Ulm lives in the Shag Road area, where a proposed two-mile-long rail staging yard would be built.

"How long will Shag Road exits be blocked?" Scheman asked. "It's also a concern for 20th South, which is only a mile and a quarter from Shag Road."

Ronald Janni of New Ulm believes that the staging yard -- where railroad cars are split up and pieced together to make new trains -- would ruin the rural environment in the Shag Road area.

"There are over a hundred people in the 35 homes along Shag Road that would be near the switch yard, several of them being less than 125 feet," Janni said. "They would have to listen to the loud noise of stopping, starting, and switching cars in the yard, which DM&E informed me would take place 24 hours a day."

DM&E is planning a $1.4 billion expansion of its rail line, including upgrading 600 miles of track from western South Dakota to Winona, Minn. The company also wants to add 270 miles of new track into Wyoming, allowing the rail line to ship coal.

Replacing the track would allow longer trains -- up to 135 cars -- and speeds that reach up to 49 miles per hour, according to Surface Transportation Board documents. The volume of trains also would increase from 10-12 trains a day to about 37 trains a day.

The Surface Transportation Board, a federal agency, needs to authorize the expansion before any work can begin. Members of the board listened to public comments Wednesday, and accepted written comments. About nine of every 10 people in attendance opposed to the expansion.

The board has allowed 90 days for public comments, with a deadline slated for Jan. 5, 2001. Several people opposed to the rail expansion asked the board to extend the timeframe for written comments for another 90 days.

Paul Kalow lives in the Shag Road area. He said the proposed staging yard could mean the closure of a township road south of Shag Road. Kalow said that township road was the only open road during past years' floods, because Shag Road was under water.

"If they close 110 and Shag Road floods. ... We'll be using boats," Kalow said.

Janni said the closure of the township road means Shag Road residents would have to travel to New Ulm before heading to Mankato. The road closing would add nine miles to Janni's trip to Mankato, he said.

Brian Mathiowetz of Leavenworth supports the rail expansion, saying it will be safer. Mathiowetz lost a brother in a train accident.

"The crossings that are improved will save lives," he said.

"Rural Minnesota needs this railroad," Mathiowetz said. "Without this railroad, what do we got? Without this improvement, the railroad would be abandoned."

Mathiowetz works at Mathiowetz Construction Company, which ships kaolin clay to Iowa, where it is used to make cement. The company uses DM&E for shipping its product.

"Our (kaolin) business, of course, would disappear" if the rail isn't upgraded, Mathiowetz said. "We need to be connected to regional centers."

Dan Wietecha, Courtland city administrator, said he is fearful of upgrades on the track near a wastewater main that extends five miles from Courtland to New Ulm, where sewage is treated.

"We want to make sure any proposed changes address our sewer," Wietecha said.

Scheman agreed, saying he fears the sewer main could burst because of higher volume and more vibrations.

Charles Hansen of Sleepy Eye said the proposed train upgrades are hurting land values. Hansen recently tried to sell his home, but the buyer backed out because of the proximity of the railroad tracks.

"There was nothing wrong with the home, nothing wrong with the price," Hansen said. "But he can't buy the home and endanger his kids."

Danny Anderson of New Ulm said the railroad company made a mistake when it sold land near the tracks.

"What's going to happen to a town if a train tips over and derails?" Anderson said. "They're putting people's lives in danger. They've moved people closer to the railroad."

Don Louwagie, a Marshall soybean farmer and a member of Minnesota Service Bureau Association, said the upgraded DM&E line will help farmers across the region.

"Minnesota's soybean farmers are dependent on the rail, as two-thirds of our beans are shipped out of state," Louwagie told the STB members. "Rebuilding the DM&E railroad will reduce the travel time from days to hours. We need a modern railroad."

Soybean prices are at a 30-year low, and the upgraded line could open new markets, Louwagie added.

Diane McKeown, energy coordinator for the Clean Water Action Alliance, spoke against the upgrades. She noted that the nation is trying to reduce its output of greenhouse gases, and shipping and burning coal will have the opposite effect on that goal.

Robert Kermes of Excel Energy disagreed. He said the Wyoming coal is cheap, plentiful, near the surface, and creates less ash. He said there are 16 Excel Energy plants burning coal.

"The demand for this coal has increased tremendously in the last 10 years," Kermes said.

Others said the train is already unsafe in its current condition. Tom Behsman works on the train, and said it is sometimes scary to make a trip.

"I just have to wonder, am I going to make it home tonight, because our rails are in that bad of condition?" Behsman said. "Asking for no action is dangerous."