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Montana NIMBYs
Author: Rocky, The Great Northern Goat
Date: 02-12-2013 - 10:57
Railroad threatens a quiet Amish way of life
John S. Adams, USA TODAY3:28p.m. EST
February 10, 2013
Proposed rail line would bisect Amish community in Montana
Investors include Warren Buffett, candy bar magnate Forrest Mars Jr.
U.S. conducting environmental review of proposed railroad
COLSTRIP, Mont. — David Borntreger and his family moved from Missouri to a remote corner of southeastern Montana in 1997 to escape the increasing pressures of the modern world.
Borntreger, his brother Levi, and their families are members of a small Amish settlement about 120 miles east of Billings, Mont.
They raise cattle and sheep on their farm along the banks of the Tongue River. Their children attend school in two small schoolhouses. The Amish don't use electricity, so they construct their buildings without the aid of power tools, and they work the land with horse-drawn implements.
"We came west because it's not as thickly populated," David Borntreger said. "We thought it would be a good opportunity here to have our children grow up on agriculture land. We were hoping we could have a lifestyle from agriculture."
Now that simple lifestyle is being threatened by a proposed railroad owned by a coal giant and two of the world's wealthiest men. The proposed line would bisect the Amish community's land and disrupt farm and ranching operations, the Borntregers said.
The proposed Tongue River Railroad would open Montana's vast Otter Creek Coal Tracts — located some 15 miles to the south of the Borntregers' farm — to strip mining. According to the project's supporters, the railroad would haul an estimated 20 million tons of coal annually from Arch Coal's planned mine near the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation to Midwest power plants.
The Tongue River Railroad is owned by billionaire investor Warren Buffett's BNSF Railway, Arch Coal and billionaire candy bar magnate Forrest Mars Jr. Mars, a landowner along one of the previous Tongue River routes, bought a third of the railroad in 2011 after fighting it for years. The proposed route that once crossed his land is now off the table.
Critics say domestic demand for coal is dwindling and they fear the newest proposal, called the "Colstrip Alternative," is aimed at shipping Otter Creek coal to export terminals on the West Coast bound for Asian markets. Arch Coal owns the Otter Creek coal leases, one-third of the railroad and 38% of a proposed Longview, Wash., coal export terminal.
BNSF spokeswoman Suann Lundsberg said the Colstrip Alternative is the railroad company's preferred route because it's shorter than previous preferred routes and would have less of an impact on the Tongue River Valley and landowners.
Lundsberg said she couldn't comment on the destination for Otter Creek coal.
"That's a decision that's made by the company who is shipping the coal," Lundsberg said. Arch Coal spokeswoman Kim Link referred questions to Lundsberg.
Landowners could face condemnation if the plan is approved, but Lundsberg said it's premature to talk about eminent domain.
Property owners in addition to the Borntregers are also worried.
"I don't think we ought to sacrifice my ground or my neighbors' ground so some corporation can make a profit by shipping coal to Asia," said Clint McRae, one of the Borntregers' neighbors.
The latest proposal would cross about 9 miles of McRae's ranch, which he said would make it difficult and costly to move cattle and fight fires. Last summer, a wildfire burned more than 200,000 acres in Rosebud and Powder River counties, including nearly 8,000 acres of McRae's ranch.
"We can't cross railroad tracks with a firefighting engine," McRae said. "If we can't get across those tracks, we're going to lose a lot more land."
The federal Surface Transportation Board is conducting an environmental review of the proposed railroad. Last fall the agency held 10 public meetings on the project to solicit public comments.
The Borntregers said they were unaware the company planned to cross their land. David Borntreger said he received a letter from a surveying company a month after the final meeting containing an aerial photo of his property. A red line on the photo denotes the proposed Colstrip Alternative route. It's less than 100 feet from Levi Borntreger's back door.
"We can't live that close to a railroad," Levi Borntreger said.
David Borntreger said the land they have now is sufficient to support the simple Amish lifestyle. If the railroad is built, that would change.
"It would be different if the track was here and then we moved to it," David said. "We moved to this area for the peace and quiet. That will all change if this railroad comes."
Lundsberg said it's too early to know the precise route of any of the proposed lines.
The Surface Transportation Board is reviewing the input it received during the scoping process and will issue a Final Scope of Study once the review is completed.
Adams also reports for the Great Falls (Mont.) Tribune
John S. Adams, USA TODAY3:28p.m. EST
February 10, 2013
Proposed rail line would bisect Amish community in Montana
Investors include Warren Buffett, candy bar magnate Forrest Mars Jr.
U.S. conducting environmental review of proposed railroad
COLSTRIP, Mont. — David Borntreger and his family moved from Missouri to a remote corner of southeastern Montana in 1997 to escape the increasing pressures of the modern world.
Borntreger, his brother Levi, and their families are members of a small Amish settlement about 120 miles east of Billings, Mont.
They raise cattle and sheep on their farm along the banks of the Tongue River. Their children attend school in two small schoolhouses. The Amish don't use electricity, so they construct their buildings without the aid of power tools, and they work the land with horse-drawn implements.
"We came west because it's not as thickly populated," David Borntreger said. "We thought it would be a good opportunity here to have our children grow up on agriculture land. We were hoping we could have a lifestyle from agriculture."
Now that simple lifestyle is being threatened by a proposed railroad owned by a coal giant and two of the world's wealthiest men. The proposed line would bisect the Amish community's land and disrupt farm and ranching operations, the Borntregers said.
The proposed Tongue River Railroad would open Montana's vast Otter Creek Coal Tracts — located some 15 miles to the south of the Borntregers' farm — to strip mining. According to the project's supporters, the railroad would haul an estimated 20 million tons of coal annually from Arch Coal's planned mine near the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation to Midwest power plants.
The Tongue River Railroad is owned by billionaire investor Warren Buffett's BNSF Railway, Arch Coal and billionaire candy bar magnate Forrest Mars Jr. Mars, a landowner along one of the previous Tongue River routes, bought a third of the railroad in 2011 after fighting it for years. The proposed route that once crossed his land is now off the table.
Critics say domestic demand for coal is dwindling and they fear the newest proposal, called the "Colstrip Alternative," is aimed at shipping Otter Creek coal to export terminals on the West Coast bound for Asian markets. Arch Coal owns the Otter Creek coal leases, one-third of the railroad and 38% of a proposed Longview, Wash., coal export terminal.
BNSF spokeswoman Suann Lundsberg said the Colstrip Alternative is the railroad company's preferred route because it's shorter than previous preferred routes and would have less of an impact on the Tongue River Valley and landowners.
Lundsberg said she couldn't comment on the destination for Otter Creek coal.
"That's a decision that's made by the company who is shipping the coal," Lundsberg said. Arch Coal spokeswoman Kim Link referred questions to Lundsberg.
Landowners could face condemnation if the plan is approved, but Lundsberg said it's premature to talk about eminent domain.
Property owners in addition to the Borntregers are also worried.
"I don't think we ought to sacrifice my ground or my neighbors' ground so some corporation can make a profit by shipping coal to Asia," said Clint McRae, one of the Borntregers' neighbors.
The latest proposal would cross about 9 miles of McRae's ranch, which he said would make it difficult and costly to move cattle and fight fires. Last summer, a wildfire burned more than 200,000 acres in Rosebud and Powder River counties, including nearly 8,000 acres of McRae's ranch.
"We can't cross railroad tracks with a firefighting engine," McRae said. "If we can't get across those tracks, we're going to lose a lot more land."
The federal Surface Transportation Board is conducting an environmental review of the proposed railroad. Last fall the agency held 10 public meetings on the project to solicit public comments.
The Borntregers said they were unaware the company planned to cross their land. David Borntreger said he received a letter from a surveying company a month after the final meeting containing an aerial photo of his property. A red line on the photo denotes the proposed Colstrip Alternative route. It's less than 100 feet from Levi Borntreger's back door.
"We can't live that close to a railroad," Levi Borntreger said.
David Borntreger said the land they have now is sufficient to support the simple Amish lifestyle. If the railroad is built, that would change.
"It would be different if the track was here and then we moved to it," David said. "We moved to this area for the peace and quiet. That will all change if this railroad comes."
Lundsberg said it's too early to know the precise route of any of the proposed lines.
The Surface Transportation Board is reviewing the input it received during the scoping process and will issue a Final Scope of Study once the review is completed.
Adams also reports for the Great Falls (Mont.) Tribune
| Subject | Written By | Date/Time (PST) |
|---|---|---|
 Montana NIMBYs |
Rocky, The Great Northern Goat | 02-12-2013 - 10:57 |
|
Re: New Montana Rail Line
|
jst3751 | 02-12-2013 - 13:37 |
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Re: New Montana Rail Line
|
stash | 02-12-2013 - 13:45 |
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Re: New Montana Rail Line
|
Wickhamdork | 02-12-2013 - 15:22 |
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Re: New Montana Rail Line
|
stash | 02-12-2013 - 21:00 |
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Re: New Montana Rail Line
|
jst3751 | 02-13-2013 - 02:19 |
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Re: New Montana Rail Line
|
Steve Thompson | 02-12-2013 - 13:47 |
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Earlier BN Mitigation Studies
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Pdxrailtransit | 02-12-2013 - 14:07 |
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Crookton Cutoff
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Pdxrailtransit | 02-12-2013 - 15:26 |
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Re: Crookton Cutoff
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Bruce Kelly | 02-12-2013 - 16:23 |
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Re: Crookton Cutoff
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Pdxrailtransit | 02-12-2013 - 18:06 |
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Re: Crookton Cutoff
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Bruce Kelly | 02-12-2013 - 19:54 |
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Re: Crookton Cutoff
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Jack S | 02-13-2013 - 13:12 |
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Re: Crookton Cutoff
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Observer | 02-13-2013 - 14:32 |
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Re: Crookton Cutoff
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George Andrews | 02-13-2013 - 19:38 |
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Re: Crookton Cutoff
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Pdxrailtransit | 02-13-2013 - 19:41 |