Bellingham Comments from Digital Recorder - EISs for the Proposed ...

GATEWAY PACIFIC TERMINAL EIS SCOPING HEARING VOL. II
COURT REPORTER: BETH DRUMMOND PROCEEDING DATE: October 27, 2012
Page 51
1 rail network, the economic and environmental impacts would
2 echo throughout the state."
3 He further stated that "multiple additional unit
4 trains moving through communities at a greater frequency
5 than today also may trigger the need for greater
6 mitigation."
7 You will, no doubt, hear more about the impacts
8 of increased rail traffic from communities south of
9 Bellingham. However, I want to focus my comments on the
10 expansion of rail traffic along the BNSF rail line that
11 branches at Burlington and travels east to Sedro-Woolley,
12 and north through the South Fork and Nooksack Valleys and
13 runs parallel to State Route 9 to the Canadian border at
14 Sumas.
15 This line connects to Cherry Point via the
16 Canadian National Rails running through New Westminster, a
17 route over which BNSF has trackage rights.
18 Bellingham officials initially suggested this
19 inland route as a remedy to the congestion problem posed by
20 a single line running from Bow through Bellingham to Cherry
21 Point. BNSF has verbally dismissed this option as
22 impractical based on expense.
23 Is that me?
24 MS. STRAUSZ-CLARK: That means your time is up,
25 sir.