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Railroad Newsline for Saturday, 05/19/07
Author: Larry W. Grant
Date: 05-19-2007 - 00:32
Railroad Newsline for Saturday, May 19, 2007
Compiled by Larry W. Grant
In Memory of Rob Carlson, 1952 – 2006
RAIL NEWS
AMTRAK WORKERS RALLY FOR CONTRACT
For years, Amtrak workers believed their interests and those of the company were so closely aligned that union officials regularly trekked to Capitol Hill to ask for more federal money for the national passenger railroad.
But with some 10,000 employees working their eighth year without an updated contract, at least one union has stopped supporting Amtrak's funding bid. Others are delivering their annual message to Congress with a caveat, saying the money should come with clear instructions that Amtrak negotiate.
Hundreds of Amtrak workers rallied in front of the railroad's Union Station headquarters Thursday to demand a new contract that includes raises and back pay. The protest was held ahead of a bigger one on the National Mall that also included aviation, highway and transit workers and focused on a variety of issues, including security.
Amtrak workers said they were tired of waiting.
"Every new president that the railroad appoints asks its labor to take it on the chin to help the company survive the next year -- and the next year and the next year," said Barry Squires, a 30-year Amtrak employee from Philadelphia.
Under the Railway Labor Act, designed to keep the rail and aviation industries moving, contracts do not really expire even after their terms have ended. Without a new contract, workers are entitled only to small, automatic wage increases equal to half the increase in the cost of living.
About 10,000 Amtrak workers have been working under a contract that ended Dec. 31, 1999. Approximately 5,000 more have been without an up-to-date agreement since the end of 2004.
"I'm a single parent with three kids. Everything's going up but my paycheck," said Cynthia Uhl, an assistant conductor who traveled to Washington from her home in Mount Laurel, NJ, for the protests. "Gas is going up, my mortgage is going up."
The main sticking point in the negotiations has been back pay. Amtrak has offered raises but has refused to make them retroactive for the years of negotiations. Amtrak also wants the freedom to subcontract jobs.
W. Dan Pickett, president of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, which represents nearly 600 Amtrak workers, said negotiations overseen by a federal mediator have been unproductive.
Pickett said his union initiated a meeting with Amtrak in March. That was the first time in more than a year the two sides had talked, he said.
Amtrak said Thursday that it is committed to negotiations.
"Amtrak has offered fair and competitive wages for its employees, balanced by work force flexibility needed to operate efficiently in an increasingly competitive transportation environment," the company said in a statement.
One effect of the delayed contract is that Amtrak is finding it difficult to attract and retain workers, union officials said. Pickett said Amtrak signalmen earn about 80 percent of what workers on the freight railroads make. Wages on commuter railroads are also higher, he said.
At a Senate subcommittee hearing in February, Amtrak President Alex Kummant acknowledged that skilled workers such as electricians are underpaid at Amtrak and said the lack of labor agreements is a problem for the railroad.
In a sign of growing frustration, Pickett's members instructed him in the fall not to lobby for Amtrak funding anymore. Some workers say they no longer believe they would be worse off if Amtrak was dismantled.
"We're telling them, 'Shut it down,' because this company is unwilling to negotiate with us," said John Thomas, chairman of the signalmen's Local 18 in Philadelphia.
Edward Wytkind, president of the AFL-CIO's transportation trades department, said most of the unions are still telling Congress to fund Amtrak, but they want that money to come with pressure on labor issues.
"We're no longer willing to go up to Capitol Hill and just blindly say, 'Give Amtrak a bunch of money,'" Wytkind said. "It's all going to be now directly connected to whether or not the employees get taken care of."
Robert A. Scardelletti, president of the Transportation Communications International Union, said completely withholding support for Amtrak funding would be counterproductive.
"If there's no funding, we'd lose our jobs," said Scardelletti, whose union represents about 8,000 Amtrak workers.
Amtrak has asked Congress for $1.53 billion in funding for fiscal 2008, a nearly 18 percent increase from the $1.3 billion the railroad is getting this year. President Bush has proposed only $800 million in direct funding.
The company has been under pressure from the Bush administration to wean itself from government subsidies, though Kummant has said complete self-sufficiency will never be possible. - Sarah Karush, The Associated Press, Forbes.com
TRAFFIC RESTORED ON TRACKS SOUTH OF TACOMA AFTER DERAIL
Railroad tracks on the mainline between Tacoma and Olympia, Washington were reopened Thursday, a day after two freight trains derailed, a spokesman for the BNSF Railway Company said.
Freight trains and Amtrak were getting back on schedule, spokesman Gus Melonas said.
Two of the locomotives that left the track early Wednesday will be removed next week, he said, and crews will be cleaning up debris for few more weeks at the site near the Nisqually River.
No injuries occurred when three locomotives and several cars from the two Union Pacific trains went off the track, which is owned by BNSF.
Union Pacific officials said a southbound train apparently derailed at about 03:15 hours at a railroad switch and bumped a few cars off the tracks from a northbound train. Both trains hauling were hauling shipping containers.
Amtrak passengers were bused between Seattle and Portland while the tracks were blocked. - The Associated Press, The Bellingham Herald
ROAD CLOSED BY DERAILED TRAINS EXPECTED TO REOPEN BY SUNDAY
DUPONT, WA -- The cleanup of two Union Pacific Railroad freight train engines that derailed south of DuPont should be farther along late this afternoon, a Pierce County Public Works and Utilities spokesman said Thursday.
The engines derailed Wednesday about 03:15 hours in a switching area.
The crash caused a power outage, shut down part of a nearby road and halted Amtrak passenger train service. As they derailed, the engines pushed several freight cars of a northbound train off the track. No one was injured.
Union Pacific crews will remove the locomotive that came to rest on Old Nisqually Road sometime this afternoon, said Bruce Wagner of the county’s Public Works and Utilities department.
Although the damage to the road is limited to one lane, the cranes that will be used to lift and load the locomotive will likely further damage the road, he said.
County workers will remove debris and create a temporary fix to reopen the road. Wagner said officials expect to reopen it by midday Sunday.
Amtrak service has resumed. - Paul Sand, The Tacoma News Tribune
DOODLEBUG TO BE MOVED TO PERMANENT HOME IN BELEN
BELEN, NM -- The Doodlebug is returning to Belen, but not under its own steam.
The small steel train cars called Doodlebugs were a fixture for decades on the tracks between Belen and Albuquerque and between Clovis and Carlsbad, but the commuter service ended about 40 years ago.
The No. M-190 railcar from the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway had been stored for 20 years in the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento. The museum gave it to New Mexico, and the train was returned to the state in February.
On Monday, it's slated to be moved from Los Lunas south to its new home in Belen.
"By today's standards the Doodlebug is a small train, but moving it back to Belen will be no small task," said Lawrence Rael, executive director of the Mid-Region Council of Governments. "It's going to take a large crane to actually lift the Doodlebug from where it is now, set it on a couple of trucks and haul it to Belen."
The self-propelled M-190s, also known as La Marranita or the Little Pig, were 70 foot long, had 22 seats and carried up to 44 passengers as well as the mail. A second passenger car was sometimes attached to the lead car.
As many as 48 Doodlebugs operated in the United States in the heyday of the commuter trains from the early 1930s to the mid-1950s. In New Mexico, they were retired in the late 1960s.
"It's like getting back a piece of Belen," Mayor Ronnie Torres said. "It's like bringing home an old friend. Everybody has a story about the Doodlebug, like it was their own personal train. It's great that we're bringing this piece of Belen history home."
The Doodlebug will be permanently parked at 2nd and Becker Street in Belen, just around the corner from the community's historic Harvey House.
"This little train is an important piece of our history, particularly to the residents of Belen and Valencia County that relied on this vital connection to Albuquerque for more than 40 years," Gov. Bill Richardson said. "It's good to have it back where people can see it and appreciate it." - The Associated Press, The Las Cruses Sun-News
MAY 13-19 IS NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION WEEK
National Transportation Week is May 13-19, and the Association of American Railroads (AAR) is proud to join with other segments of the transportation industry in celebrating the railroad’s transportation role in our economy.
"America's economy depends on its transportation systems that tie every community in the nation together and allow the nation to enjoy a high standard of living," says AAR President and CEO Edward R. Hamberger. "Railroads are proud of the role we play in moving the economy forward."
Hamberger also notes that last year railroads moved more freight than ever before. Railroads are preparing for a future in which the demand for freight transportation is expected to grow 70 percent by 2020. "This year, railroads will put some $10 billion into capital improvements, more than any prior year in history. This money will increase track capacity, as well as add new freight cars and locomotives to our equipment fleets," says Hamberger.
Working in partnership with trucking companies and ocean shipping lines, railroads last year moved more than 12,000,000 containers or semi-truck trailers across the nation, reducing congestion, pollution and energy use.
Moving these goods as well as millions of passengers every year are more than 230,000 dedicated employees who operate a network of 140,000 rail miles (enough to encircle the globe more than five times) and an equipment fleet that includes more than 26,000 technologically advanced locomotives (some with more than 6,000 horsepower) and 1.3 million freight cars.
To keep things moving smoothly, railroads use the latest in computer and fiber optic technology, permitting centrally located dispatchers to control the movements of trains hundreds of miles away. Trackside detectors, meanwhile, provide up-to-date information on individual freight cars so freight customers can keep close watch on the progress of their shipments and railroads can monitor their physical condition.
As our nation's economy grows, so will the demand for freight transportation. And railroads are determined to help meet those needs by investing heavily in new technology, improved equipment and a well-trained workforce. - BNSF Today
TWELVE RAILROADS HONORED FOR EMPLOYEE SAFETY RECORD
Employees at the nation's railroads have once again reported impressive gains in safety and have posted their safest year in history in 2006. "The industry and its employees continue to make safety as their highest priority," said Edward R. Hamberger, president and CEO of the Association of American Railroads, Thursday, May 17, at a luncheon ceremony honoring railroads with the best employee safety records last year.
Twelve railroads received gold, silver or bronze E.H. Harriman Memorial Safety Awards in four separate categories at the awards luncheon.
Hamberger noted that this year’s safety gains were extraordinary given the record volumes of freight carried by rail and the number of new employees who have joined the industry.
BNSF Railway Company took home the bronze award, CSX Transportation took the silver and the top honor was awarded to Norfolk Southern for those line-haul railroads whose employees worked 15 million employee-hours or more during 2006.
BNSF Suburban Operation in Chicago received the bronze award in the Group C category for railroads whose employees worked less than 4 million employee-hours during the award period.
Certificates of Commendation were awarded recognizing four railroads with continuous gains in employee safety improvements over a three-year period and showing the most improvement between 2005 and 2006: CN (U.S. operations), Kansas City Southern Railway, Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District and Birmingham Southern Railroad.
The Harriman Awards was founded by the late Mrs. Mary W. Harriman in memory of her husband, Edward H. Harriman, an American legend in railroading. Today, the awards are administered under the auspices of the E.H. Harriman Memorial Awards Institute, with support from the Mary W. Harriman Foundation.
Harriman winners are selected by a committee of representatives from the transportation field and are granted on the basis of the lowest casualty rates per 200,000 employee-hours worked with a formula that accounts for volume of work performed as well as the number of fatalities and occupational illnesses. All data is documented by the Federal Railroad Administration.
Also during the ceremony, the Harold F. Hammond Award, recognizing an individual railroad employee, was presented to Kenneth Cheek, a carman with Norfolk Southern.
Nine other railroad employees were honored with Certificates of Commendation for their work in enhancing safety, including Marty Jones, an electrician with BNSF in Alliance, Nebraska. Jones, with 33 years of railroad experience, has served on the Alliance shop’s Safety and Health Committee and is a current co-chair of this committee.
He is active on the Alliance terminal’s site safety committee, the facility’s Environmental Management Closed-Loop Process team, and the Environmental Spill Response team. His dedication to safety also shows in his foresight to equip the Alliance facility with three automated external defibrillators (AEDs). During his off-time, Jones serves as an emergency medical technician and a firefighter in his community. - BNSF Today
KAW RIVER RAILROAD LEASES BEDFORD INDUSTRIAL PARK SWITCHING FROM BNSF
Kaw River Railroad (KAW), a wholly owned subsidiary of Watco Companies, Inc. (Watco), began serving customers in the Bedford Industrial Park in North Kansas City, Missouri, last week. The Bedford Industrial Park consists of 14.6 miles of industrial track and will be leased from BNSF.
According to Alan Elliott, Watco vice president, Marketing, the Bedford Industrial Park is a good fit for KAW. "We are pleased to have the opportunity to serve customers in the Bedford area," Elliott said.
Pete Rickershauser, BNSF vice president, Network Development, said the purpose of this lease is to improve efficiencies and customer service. "BNSF consistently reviews its network to ensure the most efficient use of assets and to provide the most effective service for its customers," Rickershauser said. "We see the transfer of portions of our North Kansas City-area industrial switching to KAW as an outcome of that ongoing review. We are looking forward to providing our customers with the benefits of KAW’s local operations’ capabilities in conjunction with BNSF’s extensive rail network."
Ed McKechnie, Watco chief commercial officer, said this partnership with BNSF is indicative of each railroad’s dedication to customers. "We have an excellent relationship with BNSF that is built upon mutual respect," said McKechnie.
Watco, a Pittsburg, Kansas,-based company, operates 16 railroads in 14 states. Watco also operates industrial switching locations and mechanical and locomotive shops across the United States and is the owner of Millennium Rail, Inc. (MRI), a fully integrated provider of repair and maintenance services to the rail industry. MRI operates eight car repair shops across the United States. More information about Watco and MRI can be found on their Web site at [www.watcocompanies.com]. - BNSF Today
UNION PACIFIC URGES MOTORISTS AND PEDESTRIANS TO TRAVEL SAFELY DURING MEMORIAL DAY HOLIDAY
OMAHA, NE -- Thousands of Americans will observe and celebrate Memorial Day with weekend trips and family outings. Union Pacific urges travelers – motorists and pedestrians alike – to take the extra time and use caution when crossing railroad tracks and at grade crossings, and to please stay away from railroad property.
It is essential to practice safety at highway-rail grade crossings and to heed the warnings of automated crossing gates, flashing signals, stop signs, yield signs and crossbuck signs. When traveling near the railroad, please remember these important safety guidelines:
· Never walk along tracks and only cross tracks at designated pedestrian roadway crossings when on foot.
· Observe and obey all warning signs and signals.
· At a multiple track crossing waiting for a train to pass, watch out for a second train on the other tracks, approaching from either direction, before proceeding.
· Do not be fooled; the train you see is closer and moving faster than you think. If you see a train approaching, wait for it to go by before you proceed across the tracks.
- Mark Davis, UP News Release
RAILROAD SNAGS HINDER QUEEN CREEK LOOP PROJECT
QUEEN CREEK, AZ -- Completion of Queen Creek’s Ellsworth Loop Road has
been pushed back a couple of months and could face more delays and higher project costs due to holdups caused by Union Pacific Railroad, town officials say.
View map:
[eastvalleytribune.com]
Ellsworth Loop Road is a $36 million project that will route traffic around downtown on a six-lane loop from Queen Creek Road to Chandler Heights Road west of Ellsworth Road.
The project, the largest improvement district in the state, includes construction of a railroad underpass at Rittenhouse Road, a mile-long road-widening project and a new bridge over Queen Creek Wash.
Queen Creek’s special transportation projects manager Dick Schaner said roadway work south of the railroad underpass is ahead of schedule and began in October, however, all work related to the underpass is running late.
“When it comes to the overall completion date, we’re behind schedule,” Schaner said. “Apparently, Queen Creek isn’t the No. 1 project for the railroad — we’re pretty far down that list, and we’re seeing what we can do to get it higher up on the list.”
Schaner said the delay moves the original completion date of March 2008 to May 2008. “If we can’t keep the railroad moving, and it’s a continuous battle, we could lose a couple more months,” Schaner said. “It’s a big project, so it moves by inches.”
The big holdup involves the railroad getting materials and equipment delivered to move two poles now in the way of completing the “shoofly” — a temporary stretch of track that diverts trains around construction, Schaner said.
Once that’s complete, the town will have to deal with Union Pacific at two or three other points during construction, he said.
“It’s very difficult dealing with the railroad,” Schaner said. “They’re a big organization, and we have to keep pushing to keep our project moving.”
Union Pacific spokesman Mark Davis said he isn’t familiar with Queen Creek’s specific project or issues, but the company wants to be a good partner with the town and see the project through.
“We’re working hard on this and other future projects,” Davis said.
If railroad delays continue to push back the project, the cost could go up, Schaner said.
“We’re still within the original budget, but if we get anymore significant delays by the railroad, we’ll have delay charges from contractors,” he said.
Delays are expected to cause little or no impact to the commercial development planned along the loop road. Westcor Development Partner’s project, which includes a Wal-Mart Supercenter, aims to open by November, and Vestar plans to open its shopping center in March, Schaner said.
“They will have roads adjacent to their centers complete,” he said. – Sarah J. Boggan, The East Valley Tribune
SOUTH DAKOTA SUPREME COURT DEALS BLOW TO RAIL PROJECT
Even though it was dealt a setback by the South Dakota Supreme Court, the Northern Hills Rail Authority’s plan to build a tourist train line through Whitewood Canyon is still on track, attorney Tom Brady insisted.
The Supreme Court on Thursday overturned a 2005 decision by Circuit Judge Warren Johnson, who had ruled that the state of South Dakota retained the railroad right of way after Chicago & North Western Railroad Co. tore up its track in 1970.
In 2003, the state transferred that right of way to the Northern Hills Railroad Authority.
Charles Brown, whose owns property claimed by the authority as right-of-way, filed suit.
Brady represents the Northern Hills Rail Authority. He said the Supreme Court decision does not stop the efforts to build a railroad.
“It comes back (to circuit court), and the judge will look at the other reasons why we still own the right of way,” Brady said. “Sooner or later, we will be running trains on that right of way.”
Brady insisted Thursday that the authority still owns the right to lay track and run trains through Whitewood Canyon.
Brown’s attorney, Kenneth Dewell of Rapid City, agreed with Brady that the legal case is still alive.
“It’s not over,” he said. “This was a huge victory for my client in having the South Dakota Supreme Court come in line with prevailing federal law. It’s a major loss for the railroad authority’s theory of why they think they ought to be able to take private property.”
Dewell said the next argument will likely be over the issue of whether C&NW’s actions in the 1960s and 1970s constitute a railroad abandonment under South Dakota law.
The issue in Thursday’s decision was a 1922 federal law. The circuit judge ruled that the law meant that the right of way reverted to the state after C&NW left.
However, the Supreme Court said the patents granted to homesteaders who first settled Brown's land did not reserve any government interest in the right of way.
The 1922 federal law dealing with the reversion of such rights of way cannot be applied retroactively to the land patents and the 1875 law that set up the right of way between Whitewood and Deadwood, the justices said.
The Northern Hills Railroad Authority and its private sector partners, first Dunrail Inc. and now Black Hills Transportation, have tried for more than a decade to build the railroad.
Actor Kevin Costner was a majority owner of Dunrail, and he’s also a major stockholder in Black Hills Transportation. He initially wanted a train to ferry passengers from Rapid City Regional Airport to his Dunbar luxury resort near Deadwood.
The Dunbar plan was scrapped, but the plan now is to run tourist trains to downtown Deadwood.
About the only physical evidence of the old line is a steel bridge near Deadwood and a tunnel midway between Whitewood and Deadwood. The tunnel is practically in Charles Brown’s backyard. - Dan Daly, The Rapid City Journal
TRAIN LEFT RUNNING ON TRACKS IN LAKEWOOD OVERNIGHT
LAKEWOOD, CA -- Some residents are used to train noise. However, today they had a lot more to complain about. Eyewitness News Reporter Sid Garcia says it was an unattended train with the engine left running for nearly a day.
Residents in the Lakewood neighborhood are complaining about the sound of an idling locomotive.
They live next to a Union Pacific railroad track. Idling locomotives are part of living here, residents tell us. You have to deal with it. But this went on for more than 20 hours.
"It was before noon when we came back from lunch it was still there," said Virginia Masters, a nearby resident. "And then it just went on and on and on, all afternoon, and all night long and then this morning, I said, 'My gosh, it is still running out there.'"
During the interview, the locomotive was being moved.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District attempted to make it illegal for locomotives to be left idling for lengthy periods of time in residential neighborhoods, citing health reasons.
"Idling locomotives: They burn diesel fuel. They emit diesel particulates, which is a listed carcinogen," said Curt Weise of the South Coast AQMD.
The railroad industry sued and won, but the AQMD is considering an appeal.
The locomotives in Lakewood are equipped with a self-start system. The engine turns off automatically after a short period of time. Railroad industry sources tell Eyewitness News that the system is sometimes disengaged, usually when battery power is low.
Just a short while ago, I talked to a Union Pacific Railroad spokesperson who told me that he is looking into what happened here in Lakewood today, hinting that can leaving a locomotive idling for a day in one spot is not the norm. - Sid Garcia, KABC-TV7, Los Angeles, CA
YAKIMA RAILROAD TRAFFIC WILL DOUBLE IN COMING YEARS
YAKIMA, WA -- Railroad traffic is expected to double in Yakima in the next three to five years, according to a representative with the BNSF Railway Company.
Traffic is expected to rise from about seven trains per day up to 14 due to railroad construction elsewhere in the state, John Carl, regional economic this director for BNSF told Yakima City Council members Friday morning.
Traffic could increase further, depending international markets and whether the Stampede tunnel, near Snoqualimie Pass, is expanded to allow taller trains, he said. No date has been set for that work, which is estimated to more than $100 million.
The plan is to raise the ceiling and widen the tunnel, allowing for trains to carry Boeing fuselages and double stacked containers that can be transferred to trucks.
Gov. Chris Gregoire included $25 million for the project in her proposed 2007-09 budget.
The increased traffic has been projected for more than decade and prompted plans for two underpasses downtown on Lincoln Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Construction is slated to begin next year. If there's enough money, the city will build both underpasses back to back -- starting with Lincoln Avenue. The underpasses are budgeted at about $33 million total.
Yakima still needs an estimated $6.9 million to complete the project. Most of the funding is through state and federal grants.
One council member, however, continues to debate the need for the project. Bill Lover would like to go back to the drawing board to see if a less expensive solution could be found.
"It seems to me we're using a bazooka to kill a mouse," he said. "Let's scale this down if we still can."
But Neil McClure said the city has already invested a lot of time to come up with its plan, and waiting longer would result in a smaller project costing as much, if not more, than the existing one.
City staff say the underpasses will allow firefighters, police and ambulances to travel across town without being delayed by trains. - Erin Snelgrove, The Yakima Herald-Republic
NORTH FOND DU LAC CABOOSE RESTORATION GETS UNDERWAY
Photo here:
[www.fdlreporter.com]
The caboose that since 1989 has been located south of the Stretch Truck Stop on Highway 41 was moved earlier this week to the Canadian National Railroad yard at North Fond du Lac.
The caboose, which bears the Wisconsin Central Ltd. logo, will be refurbished at the rail yard before it is moved to Yellowstone Trail Park at the corner of Prospect Avenue and Winnebago Street in North Fond du Lac.
The caboose highlights the importance of the railroad industry to the village.
Weather permiting, the concrete pad on which the caboose will eventually be set will be poured today.
The caboose relocation project has been undertaken by the North Fond du Lac Historical Society, which seeks to preserve and honor the village's railroading history. - The Fon du Lac Reporter
TAKE AMTRAK CASCADES TO SEATTLE MARINERS GAMES
SEATTLE, WA -- Baseball season is in full swing and fans from throughout the Pacific Northwest can beat the hassle of traffic and parking by taking Amtrak Cascades to Seattle Mariners' home games. Safeco Field, home of the Mariners, is just a 10-minute walk from Amtrak's King Street Station in downtown Seattle.
This Sunday, May 20, 2007, the Mariners play the San Diego Padres at 13:05 hours. At game's end, usually around 16:30 hours, fans can walk back to the station to catch the train. Departures from Seattle are 17:30, southbound and 18:40 hours, northbound.
Regular one-way adult fares between Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia or Portland and Seattle start as low as $26. One-way fares between Seattle and Bellingham start as low as $25; Seattle and Tacoma, $12; Olympia and Seattle, $15; and between Everett and Seattle, $7. An upgrade to Business Class costs only a few dollars more each way and provides wider seats, more legroom and priority boarding. Passengers are encouraged to purchase tickets early to obtain lowest fares. Reservations are required. Visit www.AmtrakCascades.com, or call 800-USA-RAIL for reservations and information.
Amtrak Cascades service extends 466 miles from Eugene, Oregon to Vancouver, BC. The corridor service is provided in partnership with the states of Washington and Oregon. - Vernae Graham, Amtrak News Release
TRANSIT NEWS
DART'S SOUTHEAST DALLAS PLAN ON TRACK: RESIDENTS EAGER FOR ACCESS TO RAIL IN 2009, END TO CONSTRUCTION
DALLAS, TX -- The new Dallas Cowboys stadium won't be the only major North Texas capital project making a grand entrance in the fall of 2009.
The DART rail expansion that will link southeast Dallas with communities in the northwest part of the county is proceeding on schedule. That means the long-awaited Fair Park and MLK stations in South Dallas should open in September 2009, in time for that year's State Fair of Texas.
That's good news for area residents and businesspeople who have already endured months of construction disruptions and headaches, but which DART officials said could eventually begin to experience some of the economic benefits of the growing light-rail system.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit's current construction of the $1.7 billion Green Line will run from the Pleasant Grove area through South Dallas and Fair Park, to Deep Ellum and downtown, to Love Field and on to Farmers Branch and Carrollton.
South Dallas resident Willie Mae Coleman can hardly wait for the green line to be completed, not just for what it will mean in terms of convenience, but also so that the area can return to some semblance of pre-construction normalcy.
Ms. Coleman, president of the Bertrand Neighborhood Association, said she frequently hears complaints of construction blocking access to homes and businesses and causing traffic tie-ups.
She plans to have a DART official speak at her association's next meeting later this month.
"It's a mess out here," Ms. Coleman said. "We want them to come and we know it's going to be a little inconvenient because of the construction, but I think they need to be more considerate of the people who actually live here."
Officials said Thursday that the current DART rail system, and its expansion projects that will more than double its network in the next six years, is having a statewide economic impact.
A study released Thursday from the University of North Texas Center for Economic Development and Research estimates that the state will see more than $8.1 billion in economic activity from the region's investment of $4.86 billion for the current 45-mile light-rail system and the planned 48-mile expansion. The study was commissioned and paid for by DART.
Research by Bernard Weinstein and Terry Clower of the University of North Texas Center for Economic Development and Research showed that "transit-oriented development," which has taken place near DART rail stations, resulted in $3.3 billion in projects from 1999 through 2005 that are transforming neighborhoods. The study indicates that new retail development near rail stations will produce $40.6 million a year in state sales tax revenue and $6.5 million in local sales taxes. In addition, the development around the rail stations brings $78 million in annual property tax revenue.
The DART rail system actually began carrying passengers in 1996 and since then has grown to a ridership of 60,000 daily passenger trips.
Dr. Weinstein said that when DART was first organized in 1983, there was considerable concern about the impact the system would have, whether it was needed and whether it was worth the cost.
"It's a different environment today," Dr. Weinstein said. "There are very few skeptics left, and we have visible evidence of the benefits that the DART system is bringing to the Dallas area."
Among the most visible examples of development around DART stations can be seen at Mockingbird Station and the South Side on Lamar area, which is near the Cedars station. DART officials noted that several communities, including Carrollton, Farmers Branch and Irving, are planning major development projects along the rail line near future stations.
Gary Thomas, DART president and executive director, said that one of the main benefits of the current rail system and its expansion is that they connect different communities. He noted, for example, that once completed, the South Dallas stations will help the rest of the region discover the treasures of Fair Park – such as the African American Museum, where Thursday's briefing was held.
"There's so many people in our region that don't know about this museum or any of the other museums at Fair Park because it's not easy to get to," Mr. Thomas said. "We're awfully excited to be here to tell you what's going on as it relates to light rail, as it relates to DART, and as it relates to people being able to get to places like this beautiful museum easier, quicker, safer and efficiently." - Frank Trejo, The Dallas Morning News
RESIDENTS OBJECT TO RAIL-STATION IMPACT
WOODS CROSS, UT -- Although many are eager to climb aboard commuter rail next year, some residents dread what a nearby station could bring to their Woods Cross neighborhood.
Utah Transit Authority already has Planning Commission approval for its 10-acre rail station and 280-stall park-and-ride lot along 800 West between 500 South and 1000 South.
The plan calls for two access points, one from the north and the other from the south, directly across from Ed Goble's home. Goble filed an appeal with the city, hoping UTA would reconfigure its plan and eliminate the south entrance.
"People want a train and public transit -- just not in their front yard," Goble told the City Council this week.
He and a few of his neighbors voiced concerns over the station's impact, such as declining property values and increased traffic and crime.
Goble drew up a single-entrance layout he believed would work for the Woods Cross site. After a public hearing, the council rejected Goble's appeal, but requested that transit officials revisit the neighborhood's concerns six months after the station opens to gauge its impact on the nearby homes.
UTA's FrontRunner heavy commuter-rail line from Pleasant View to Salt Lake City should be ready for passengers in 2008. - Cathy McKitrick, The Salt Lake Tribune
MAN, 86, KILLED IN CAR-TRAX COLLISION
Photo here:
[www.sltrib.com]
SALT LAKE CITY, UT -- An 86-year-old man was killed and two other people, including a child, were hospitalized Thursday when their car collided with a Salt Lake City TRAX train.
The crash occurred about 13:15 hours at the intersection of 500 South and 1100 East on the University Line, said Salt Lake City police spokesman Jeff Bedard.
The 86-year-old passenger and the child, who was 4 or 5 years old, were ejected from the Volkswagen Beetle. The driver was pinned inside and the car rolled several yards into a nearby yard, Bedard said. The train remained on the track.
Investigators determined the driver of the Volkswagen, whose name and age were not known, apparently tried to make a left turn in front of the westbound train and was struck on the driver's side. It is unclear if the driver failed to see the train or tried to cross in front before it arrived. A "no left turn" sign was posted at the intersection, Bedard said.
The driver and child were taken to local hospitals in serious condition. The child suffered a laceration to the right leg and a possible fracture of the left arm, Bedard said.
The conductor and passengers on the train were uninjured, said TRAX spokesman Kyle Bennett.
Passengers were removed from the train within 10 minutes and transferred to another where they continued on to their destination. The train in the collision remained at the scene of the crash for about an hour and 45 minutes before the University Line was restored to full service, Bennett said.
It is not known how many passengers were on board. This is the first fatal crash involving a TRAX train this year, Bennett said. - Jason Bergreen, The Salt Lake Tribune
LAGNIAPPE (Something extra, not always railroad related, for Saturdays only.)
MINING NUGGETS OF HISTORY: IMPACT OF 'LONG COAL' FOCUS OF HISTORICAL TOUR
PUEBLO, CO -- The long-dormant memories of coal dust and hard-working miners will rise again Saturday during the third annual Coal Camp Excursion across Huerfano and Las Animas counties.
The Bessemer Historical Society is hosting the excursion Saturday for 65 to 70 people who will journey back in time to the birth of the industrial economy and to the source of the fire that fueled a new way of life for the entire country.
Photo here:
[www.chieftain.com]
Caption reads: A miner poses with a mule pulling a coal car in the Cameron Mine in 1945.
Organizer Bob Campbell said the group plans to visit several historic coal camps scattered throughout Huerfano and Las Animas counties, where re-enactors and historians will share the history of the region that was built on coal. Part of the tour will be led by two professors who visit one of the sites in Primero every year.
Both Vernon Williams, a professor at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas, and Lynn Burlbaw, a professor at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, bring students every year to the site to excavate and learn about the history of the region.
Williams purchased the 160-acre property on which 90 percent of the Colorado Fuel and Iron company-owned town of Primero sat. The town, he said, is one of the only existing examples left.
Company towns dwindle
“So many of the old CF&I towns have been bulldozed, or had roads built through them,” he said.
But on his property almost 300 foundations still are intact -- the footprints of schools, homes and stores.
“You can walk through the town with the blueprint and find everything,” Williams said. “It’s really an amazing place. A wonderful lab for students.”
Last year, Williams and Burlbaw turned over 9,000 artifacts to the Bessemer Historical Society that students had collected and catalogued over the last 15 years.
Burlbaw has been bringing his students to the property for the last three years. The society, Williams said, has become a repository for everything they find. He said he hopes the collection will be a tremendous resource for students and scholars looking for a glimpse into Colorado’s past.
The students also have collected oral histories from people who lived in the coal camps, many of them as children. He expects to have the digital recordings of those interviews processed by next year, when he will turn them over to BHS.
“That’s probably going to be more valuable than anything else,” he said. “Most of those people are no longer living. We captured their stories just before they were gone.”
Williams said he and his students don’t concentrate on the history of coal mining itself, but the people who came from all over the world and lived it. To him, he said, the people who lived the life are infinitely more interesting.
Photo here:
[www.chieftain.com]
Caption reads: Several miners pose outside the Cameron Mine in 1945.
Railroad brings masses
When rail transportation opened up vast expanses of the nation to travel and commerce, the Colorado coal miner was there to provide fuel for the steel mills that forged the rails themselves. The promise of jobs and a fresh start lured many European immigrants to the Southern Colorado coal camps. The camps, like little cities, were complete with stores, schools and lodging, and run completely by the mining companies.
Many workers who moved to the camps found themselves more and more in debt to the company by the end of every month. For many immigrants and their families the road led to hardship, and backbreaking toil. For some, it even led to death.
Some of the most dangerous coal mines in the country, were worked by the hardy, brave and tireless families that founded Huerfano and Las Animas counties. More than 1,700 miners died in the mines during a 28-year span.
The guided tour will introduce visitors to the history of many of those families beginning at the Pictou camp before heading a few miles south into the town of Walsenburg.
The town was named after Fred Walsen, the man who opened the first coal mine in Huerfano County in 1876.
Visitors will have the chance to tour the Walsenburg Mining Museum, which contains numerous artifacts from the coal-mining era.
Photo here:
[www.chieftain.com]
Caption reads: 'Mother' Mary Harris Jones, who was incarcerated for 23 days in the original Huerfano County jailhouse during the one of the deadliest labor strikes in U.S. history.
Mother Jones jailed
Housed in the original county jailhouse, the museum sits adjacent to the Huerfano County Courthouse, where the notorious union organizer "Mother" Mary Harris Jones was incarcerated for 23 days during the one of the deadliest labor strikes in U.S. history.
Historian Carolyn Newman will give a presentation at the museum, dressed as the spry Irishwoman who founded the United Mine Workers of America. While she stood just 5 feet tall, she was known as the "most dangerous woman in America."
The tour will head to the Walsen camp, just west of Walsenburg, Cameron, Ideal and Primero.
The next stop will be Ludlow, where from 1913 to 1914, the Colorado Coal Strike became one of the bloodiest strikes in all of U.S. history. Miners, with the help of the UMWA union, struck against the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company, owned in large part by the Rockefeller family.
Twelve-hundred miners held out for 14 months in makeshift tent colonies. They wanted wages instead of credit at company stores, an eight-hour workday and for one of their own to weigh the coal they pulled up from the mines. They were jailed, beaten, shot and tormented, yet still they held their ground.
On April 20, 1914, the conflict reached its peak. Eleven children and two women suffocated in a trench beneath a tent when state militiamen burned the tent city to the ground. President Woodrow Wilson called in National Guard troops to stop the violence. Sixty-six men, women and children died that year for a cause that ultimately failed. An unknown number of people were wounded. While the union lost the battle in Southern Colorado, the situation opened the eyes of many Americans and made way for an era of labor reform.
Photo here:
[www.chieftain.com]
Caption reads: Walsen Camp as it appeared in 1915. (Courtesy photo/Bessemer Historical Society)
Massacre remembered
A memorial stands today at the site of the Ludlow massacre in honor of the children, women and men who died with them that day. The UMWA purchased the 40-acre site just a few years after the incident and the memorial was erected in 1918.
When the mines began to close in the early 1940s, the coal camps were disassembled and the houses sold for as little as $25 per room. The catch was that the buyer had to move the house himself.
Camp houses were very distinct, square structures with a chimney rising from the peak at the very center of the house.
Many of the modest homes in Walsenburg were moved in from the camps on railroad ties fitted with wheels and pulled by mules. Newman said she plans to have the group try to spot the camp houses that are scattered throughout town.
Margaret Gleisburg, chairman of the Walsenburg Mining Museum board of trustees, said she remembers watching a neighbor move one of the camp houses onto Cedar Street with an old tractor when she was 5 years old.
"It must have been 1944," she said. "I was sitting on the front porch eating homemade cotton candy with my two sisters when we saw the house coming down the street."
Her father, Wayne Van Schoyck, had warned his neighbor that he couldn’t take the house down a nearby hill, but Joe Amedei didn’t agree. Gleisburg said the house got halfway down the block before it got away from the man.
"That house just took off and shot across Cedar Street," she said. "Mr. Joe was screaming and hollering ‘whoa!’ like it was a horse."
Her father, who had come home for lunch jumped in his truck to try to head the house off, she said.
"I don’t know how they stopped it," she said, but the men managed to get the house under control before it careened off the dead end road.
Amedei, she said, was ready to take some advice from her father, who instructed him to turn down a series of streets to get the house lined up for the lot again, avoiding hills the entire way.
"All I know," Gleisburg said remembering her father’s account of the story, "is that when they got it there Dad said ‘the damn thing was bass-ackward.’ "
Mrs. Amedei made the men take the house off the lot and start over.
Photo here:
[www.chieftain.com]
Caption reads: The logo of the Colorado Fuel and Iron Co.'s coal fields. Diavolo is Italian for '@#$%&,' used to symbolize the burning heat of the coal.
Camp house legacy
"If you look at that house today," Gleisburg said. "The front door is exactly where it should be."
The Coal Camp tour is scheduled to take place at 8 a.m. May 19 and includes a continental breakfast and lunch, stops at the six mining camps, Walsenburg Mining Museum, and if time permits, the Hastings mining camp. Participants will ride in two full-service tour buses from the Steelworks Museum of Industry and Culture located at 215 Canal St. in Pueblo.
Tickets are $60 per person, $50 for historical society members. Call the Bessemer Historical Society at 719-564-9086 for reservations. Seating is limited.
Campbell said similar tours may be planned. Tour participants will be polled to see whether they would be interested in an overnight trip to tour Cleveholm, the Redstone, Colorado, the Western Slope home of turn-of-the-century industrialist John Cleveland Osgood whose coal empire spurred construction of the Crystal River Railroad, and the and the mine and coke oven sites near there. - Tammy Alhadef, The Pueblo Chieftain
THERE WAS NO STOPPING THE 'IRON HORSE'...OR SETTLERS
The story of Oklahoma’s first railroads is rooted in the white man’s desire to open Indian Territory to settlement. After Congress established Indian Territory early in the 19th century, the eastern portion became the home of the five civilized tribes – the Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw and Seminole. Whites could not settle in the territory.
The tribes established their own governments, farmed and raised livestock. Their children attended mission schools established by white church groups from the East. A few forts were established by the federal government ostensibly to keep white settlers out and protect the Indians.
When the Civil War started, many but not all of the Indians in Indian Territory sided with the Confederacy. Countless Indians were killed in fighting. Others died of starvation. The tribal governments were torn by dissension. Following the Civil War, the federal government imposed harsh punishment on the tribes in Indian
Territory regardless of whether they fought with or against the Union. Tribes were pressured to sign new treaties and some ceded their lands in what is now western Oklahoma to the government for other tribes being resettled in Indian Territory.
The war over, businessmen in the surrounding states of Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas began eyeing the land. Railroads, banks and large businesses dreamed of the potential profit if whites settled in Indian Territory.
The businessmen got legislation introduced in Congress to open Indian Territory to whites. The measures failed to pass. The railroads then began a campaign to open routes for their lines across Indian Territory.
Indian tribes trying to recover from the effects of the Civil War and reconstruction knew what would happen if the white man’s iron horse entered Indian Territory. The trains would bring more whites and what the Indians viewed as the evils of the white man’s world.
The Indians fought to keep the railroads out, but under government pressure they reluctantly agreed to grant permission for railroads to cross Indian Territory. The Indians, however, only agreed to a right of way of two hundred feet wide.
When Congress passed legislation opening Indian Territory to railroad routes, lawmakers did not give the lines large land grants. The railroads had to find their own funding.
To generate funds three small lines reorganized in 1870 and became the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad. They built south from Kansas across Indian Territory and reached Texas late in 1872. The Atlantic and Pacific railroad (later called the Frisco Line) followed and built its line from Missouri across Indian Territory into Texas in 1880. Next came the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad in 1887 pushing south from Wichita, Kansas, across Indian Territory to Fort Worth, Texas.
The railroads carried many passengers across Indian Territory in the early 1880s, but Indians made limited use of the lines. Even many Texas cattlemen refused to ship their longhorns north by rail. It was cheaper to drive the cattle over established cattle trails that crossed Indian Territory.
As businessmen, bankers, farm equipment manufacturers and others crossed Indian Territory, they were impressed by the land and its farming potential. Seeing potential profits, called for Indian Territory to be opened for settlement. The Indians, however, fought the move.
The railroads came up with another plan. T. C. Sears, an attorney for the Missouri, Kansas and Texas railroad, and Elias C. Boudinot, a Cherokee attorney, organized what became known as the “Boomer” movement to promote the settlement of public lands in Indian Territory.
The two lawyers reviewed laws relating to Indian treaties and announced in 1879 that they found 14-million acres of land in the territory that had not been given to the Indians. They claimed the land belonged to the American public and therefore could be settled. They began organizing groups of purported settlers and opened offices in towns along the southern border of Kansas. The federal government and the courts rejected the lawyers’ contentions.
Fearful that settlers would ignore the rulings, Cherokee leaders protested to federal authorities and troops were sent to strategic points along the northern border of Indian Territory to keep settlers out.
One “Boomer,” David Payne, a native of Indiana and a friend of Boudinot, led several expeditions of settlers into Indian Territory only to be turned back by federal troops. Payne was arrested and charged with conspiracy against the United States in U.S. District Court at Topeka, Kansas.
To Payne’s surprise, the court dismissed the charge on grounds that title to the Indian lands were indeed vested in the United States. The court also ruled that the lands were public domain and therefore qualified U.S. citizens could settle on them.
Government attorneys meantime found that the Creek and Seminole Indians had a “residual interest” in some unassigned lands in what is now west-central Oklahoma. The government gave the tribes cash payments to relinquish their rights to the unassigned lands.
In March 1889, Congress approved the opening of the unassigned lands to settlement. President Benjamin Harrison signed the measure and issued a proclamation declaring that a land run would open them to settlement on April 22, 1889. Oklahoma’s first railroads and their supporters had won. - The Norman Transcript (Note: “Oklahoma Reflections” is researched and written by David Dary, emeritus professor of journalism, at the University of Oklahoma and the author of 20 books on the American West. The art was produced specifically for this series by Carolyn Chandler, an artist and illustrator of 45 years, who now resides in Norman and specializes in oil painting.)
E85 SWITCH HITS SOME BUMPS
WINTHROP HARBOR, IL -- Numbers whirred by on the pump as fuel poured into the Chevy Suburban's enormous gas tank.
Owner Sheila Timmons had been pleasantly surprised to see the new Marathon station in Winthrop Harbor offer E85.
She figured she'd save money, and give her flex fuel vehicle a chance to work for the first time since September.
Price and availability remain the bane -- and the hope -- of E85.
Timmons and others are learning there are many challenges facing widespread use of E85.
Photo here:
[www.dailyherald.com]
Caption reads: E85 is a mixture of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. It can only be used in flex fuel vehicles, however, and is hard to find. (Steve Lundy/Daily Herald)
Flex vehicles get lower gas mileage when using E85, so experts say the fuel must be priced lower to make it worthwhile for consumers. So far, that's not the case.
Finding a gas station selling E85 is difficult, since there are only a handful in the suburbs. Storing and pumping the fuel also pose a challenge.
And, you need a car equipped to use it. Less than 3 percent of vehicles on the road - 6 million of 230 million - can use E85.
Still, there is no shortage of interest in the fuel.
"We still get calls every day," says Greg Koeppen, Lake County Farm Bureau manager.
Proponents for years have touted E85 as a potent force with a variety of benefits, including eliminating price volatility at the gas pump and reducing the reliance on foreign oil.
Graphic here:
[www.dailyherald.com]
It also produces less greenhouse gas and helps create jobs and revitalize rural areas. The alternative fuel, made mostly from corn, is 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, and burns cleaner than regular unleaded fuel.
In Illinois, regular unleaded fuel is 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline. Other states have different requirements for the amount of ethanol blended in unleaded gas.
The Marathon station on Sheridan Road and Ninth Street opened last month and is the first public retail outlet in Lake County to carry E85 since the farm bureau last summer pushed for more options.
"I bought my truck in Racine and I filled up there with E85 and I have not been able to fill up since," Timmons said on a recent afternoon. The closest stations offering E85 had been in Palatine or McHenry.
Statewide, the number of stations offering E85 has increased from 14 in 2004 to about 155 currently with nearly half in central Illinois, according to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.
Lake, McHenry, Kane and DuPage counties combined account for eight E85 stations.
Profit margins at service stations are small, experts said. Taking a chance on a fuel with low demand is risky. And many station operators have contracts with big oil companies, which do not want the fuel under their canopies.
The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority, for example, has 100 vehicles capable of using E85.
Yet you won't find an E85 station at any of the seven rest stops operated by the agency along the 274-mile system.
"The tollway oases have a 25-year lease agreement with ExxonMobil. We can't dictate to them what fuel they use or will provide," said spokeswoman Joelle McGinnis.
George Madappallilo, co-owner of the Winthrop Harbor station, said he heard about the environmental benefits of E85 and his customers were asking about it.
"More people are coming and asking questions: What is this new product? What is E85?" he said. "I thought I'd give it a try."
The station's opening won't help Mike Tully, director of operations and public safety for the Lake County Forest Preserve District. The fleet is based at the Lakewood Forest Preserve near Wauconda, 32 miles away.
"I'm not sure you can justify it on a cost basis," he said.
Lake Forest plans to incorporate an E85 station in its new public works facility, set to break ground in a few months.
"We would like to offer it to the public, if possible," said Mayor Michael Rummel. "Anything we can do to increase gas economy, we should be doing."
Lake County Division of Transportation officials thought about creating an E85 fueling station for its fleet, but decided against it after learning it would cost $100,000 for the tank and equipment to dispense E85 at its Libertyville fueling facility.
Some of those start-up costs could be paid by the state if a proposal is passed offering cash to cover a range of activities, from building ethanol plants and railroad side tracks to serve them, to helping local governments and businesses install distribution pumps. In all, the plan would set the incentive program at nearly $40 million per year through 2010.
"The availability isn't there for municipalities as well as individual citizens," said state Rep. Karen May, a Highland Park Democrat and one of several sponsors of the E85 proposal.
The measure recently passed the Illinois House and is up for Senate consideration.
But even with the incentives, some government officials and businesses also are concerned about the lack of standards for the equipment. Northbrook-based Underwriters Laboratories Inc. has not set safety standards for dispensers that pump a fuel comprised of more than 15 percent ethanol.
"When we started looking into it, we realized it was more than just another fuel," said John Drengenberg, UL's consumer affairs manager.
Since ethanol attracts water, the mixture becomes more corrosive to plastics and metal parts used in traditional fuel pumping and storage equipment. This could lead to a leak or explosion, but Drengenberg stressed there have been no reports of such incidents.
For now, local inspectors decide if equipment is safe. And while UL approval is not required, using equipment without it makes some entities - as well as insurers - nervous.
The Office of the State Fire Marshal issues permits for installation, replacement or major alteration of equipment at stations. E85 dispensers must be certified by the manufacturer, UL or a third party testing agency. After Jan. 1, the owner must have a professional engineer or licensed petroleum contractor inspect and certify E85 dispensers or replace them with compatible equipment.
"A lot of the big box retailers, they are the ones that are hesitant to install these," Drengenberg added.
Not all farm interests are pushing E85. The McHenry County Farm Bureau, for example, is concentrating on the current 10 percent blend of ethanol in gasoline as a fuel additive to meet clean air requirements.
"Right now, I think the focus is really work on the 10 percent in every gallon of gasoline we can, rather than trying to market the E85 products," said Dan Volkers, manager of the McHenry County Farm Bureau.
"Price and the economy will drive the direction E85 goes," he added. "We'll let the market determine what's going to happen."
Brock Bentson, energy manager for Conserv FS, a Woodstock-based agricultural cooperative serving nine counties in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, is also cautious about pushing E85.Business has picked up lately, with the spike in gas prices, he said. But E85 has a way to go before catching up with more traditional fuels.
Last year, Bentson sold 20 million gallons of diesel fuel, 4 million gallons of gasoline and maybe 10,000 to 20,000 gallons of E85.
And that was during a time the ethanol industry broke all records for production, capacity, demand, sales, construction and public awareness, according to the Renewable Fuels Association, a trade group.
The group reports six ethanol plants in operation in Illinois with five more under construction.
In the past year or so, there has been an avalanche of applications for ethanol plants submitted or under state review. The IEPA has received or updated about 60 applications in that time.
"I think there are more ethanol plants being proposed than there are acres of corn to support them," Volkers said.
In the end, experts said, until there is a clear advantage over buying regular gasoline, public interest will remain low.
In Winthrop Harbor, Timmons was uncertain of the benefit after pumping nearly 24 gallons for $75. This day, E85 was priced 4 cents higher per gallon than unleaded regular, already at $3.19.
"I was told it was going to be cheaper but it doesn't appear to be cheaper," she said.
She's also curious about the performance, as gas mileage for E85 can be as much as 25 percent lower than unleaded gasoline.
"This will be the first test for me," she said. - Mike Zawislak, The Chicago Daily Herald
THE END
| Subject | Written By | Date/Time (PST) |
|---|---|---|
 Railroad Newsline for Saturday, 05/19/07 |
Larry W. Grant | 05-19-2007 - 00:32 |