Joliet, IL – State Senate Majority Leader and Congressional Candidate Debbie Halvorson released the following statement in support of the Taking Responsible Action for Community Safety (TRACS) Act and the Congressional Field Hearings held today in Chicago on the issue of the proposed acquisition of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway (EJ&E) by the Canadian National Railway (CN).

“Local communities, state and federal leaders have all been loud and clear in their message to the Surface Transportation Board: The acquisition of the EJ&E Railroad by Canadian National will hurt our communities. Canadian National’s acquisition will have a serious impact on the day-to-day lives of working families across this region. On top of traffic congestion and safety concerns, the plan stands to threaten the property values and tax bills of working families who are already being hit hard enough.

“The bipartisan Taking Responsible Action for Community Safety (TRACS) Act will allow the impact of local communities to be considered in the Surface Transportation Board’s decision making process and I wholeheartedly support passage of this important legislation.

“The increase in traffic at grade crossing is a threat to public safety and threatens to cause enormous harm in the form of increased traffic congestion and disruption of emergency response vehicles. The recent draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) demonstrates a disregard for the impact of this acquisition on local communities. The statement notes that CN would normally pay only 5 to 10 percent of mitigation costs associated with this transaction. A substantial number of crossings will need to be improved to handle the increased traffic. With an average separated grade crossing costing about $50 million each, we are literally talking costs over a billion dollars.

“Suburban communities across Illinois would have to pick up the tab. Not only will those communities pay, working families living in those communities would pay the price through their tax bills.

“Families are facing soaring gas prices, foreclosures, skyrocketing health care costs, and rising college tuition bills. They can’t absorb any additional economic hardship and they shouldn’t be asked to – especially not for the benefit of a multi-billion-dollar corporation. Taxpayers should not be expected to pay for the impact of a private transaction that will only earn CN more profits.”