Bill Text: IL SR1746 | 2017-2018 | 100th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges that all proposed Illinois rail projects with new freight train holding tracks adjacent to residential areas, including the current Chicago-Milwaukee Intercity Passenger Rail Program described above have a full Environmental Impact Statement. Urges the Illinois Department of Transportation to pursue options to eliminate or minimize the routing of bypass freight traffic through the Chicago metropolitan area, including prioritizing the review and study of rail bypass systems around Chicago that would ensure coastal rail traffic not destined for Chicago could more efficiently bypass the Chicago region and significantly reduce the negative impacts of freight rail in the highest populated areas of Illinois.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Failed) 2019-01-09 - Session Sine Die [SR1746 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2017-SR1746-Introduced.html
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1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, Illinois and Chicago are known as the nation's | ||||||
3 | rail hub and, pursuant to data
provided by the Metropolitan | ||||||
4 | Planning Council, the Chicago region serves as a national | ||||||
5 | east-west
gateway for six of the seven major Class I railroads | ||||||
6 | that transport approximately 25% of all U.S.
freight rail | ||||||
7 | traffic and 44% of all U.S. intermodal "container" units, | ||||||
8 | totaling more than 1.3 million
loaded rail cars annually; and
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9 | WHEREAS, Metra operates 691 weekday trains, stopping at 241 | ||||||
10 | stations on 11 rail lines in the
Chicago region; and
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11 | WHEREAS, Amtrak operates a nationwide rail network, | ||||||
12 | serving more than 500 destinations in 46
states, the District | ||||||
13 | of Columbia, and three Canadian provinces on more than 21,400 | ||||||
14 | miles of routes, with
Chicago being a major hub for most of | ||||||
15 | their interstate services; and
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16 | WHEREAS, These activities provide vital transit services | ||||||
17 | for Illinois residents, Illinois commerce,
and the nation; and
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18 | WHEREAS, Actual and projected growth in rail freight, | ||||||
19 | Metra, and Amtrak service continues to
put pressure on existing | ||||||
20 | Illinois rail systems, often creating higher congestion and | ||||||
21 | reduced safety when
passenger and freight share the same rail |
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1 | lines; and
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2 | WHEREAS, The Illinois Department of Transportation | ||||||
3 | participated in a nine-state planning effort
that resulted in | ||||||
4 | publication of the Midwest Regional Rail System (MWRRS) | ||||||
5 | executive report in
September of 2004, which outlined steps to | ||||||
6 | improve regional rail mobility and stimulate economic
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7 | development at an estimated budget of $7. 7 billion; it is | ||||||
8 | unclear what impact has been achieved; and
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9 | WHEREAS, The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) | ||||||
10 | mandates a process to use either an
Environmental Assessment, | ||||||
11 | or a more comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement, to | ||||||
12 | collect data,
evaluate impacts, review alternatives, and | ||||||
13 | propose project solutions; and
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14 | WHEREAS, One of the current rail projects being studied is | ||||||
15 | an Environmental Assessment of
proposed improvements to the | ||||||
16 | Chicago-Milwaukee Intercity Passenger Rail Program estimated | ||||||
17 | to cost
$195 million along with increased annual operating | ||||||
18 | expenses to add three daily round trips to the Amtrak Hiawatha
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19 | service; and
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20 | WHEREAS, Several communities, including the Village of | ||||||
21 | Glenview and the City of Lake Forest,
have expressed strong | ||||||
22 | concerns about this Environmental Assessment's lack of data and |
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1 | missing analyses
of potential impacts of, and alternatives to, | ||||||
2 | freight train holding tracks, noise, vibrations, releases into | ||||||
3 | the
air to adjacent residential areas, hospital, schools, and | ||||||
4 | rare nature preserves; and
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5 | WHEREAS, It is in the public's best interest to fully | ||||||
6 | evaluate the benefits and impacts of rail
projects in Illinois | ||||||
7 | prior to seeking public funding and agency permitting for such | ||||||
8 | projects; therefore, be it
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9 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL | ||||||
10 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that in accordance with the | ||||||
11 | National Environmental Policy Act and, in support of | ||||||
12 | potentially impacted communities in Illinois, all proposed | ||||||
13 | Illinois rail projects with new freight train holding tracks | ||||||
14 | adjacent to residential areas, including the current | ||||||
15 | Chicago-Milwaukee Intercity Passenger Rail Program described | ||||||
16 | above, are urged to have full Environmental Impact Statement | ||||||
17 | reviews; and be it further
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18 | RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation | ||||||
19 | is urged to pursue options to eliminate or
minimize the routing | ||||||
20 | of bypass freight traffic through the Chicago metropolitan | ||||||
21 | area, including
prioritizing the review and study of rail | ||||||
22 | bypass systems around Chicago that would ensure coastal rail
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23 | traffic not destined for Chicago could more efficiently bypass |
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1 | the Chicago region and significantly reduce
the negative | ||||||
2 | impacts of freight rail in the highest populated areas of | ||||||
3 | Illinois; and be it further
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4 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
5 | delivered to all members of the Illinois Congressional | ||||||
6 | Delegation and the Secretary of Transportation.
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