PIERRE , S.D. — One thousand petition signatures supporting a railroad bypass around Pierre and Fort Pierre are on their way to South Dakota’s congressional delegation, the Capital City Journal reports.
Organizer Bob Parsons said the success of the petition drive shows that the issue is vital to local residents.
“It still shows people believe we need, Pierre and Fort Pierre need, a bypass,” Parsons said.
The petitions are designed to be a show of interest in a bypass for lawmakers in Washington, D.C., who are considering a $6,950,000 appropriation for start-up funds for a bypass.
A coalition that includes the cities of Pierre and Fort Pierre and the Pierre Area Chamber of Commerce has hired a consultant to help develop a railroad bypass.
The request for a bypass is a reaction to the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad’s plan for renovating and expanding its line. That plan calls for up to 30 coal trains per day passing through Pierre and Fort Pierre if a bypass isn’t built.
An earlier petition drive designed to show the Surface Transportation Board the breadth of support for a bypass garnered 5,000 signatures. The STB approved the DM&E project without making provisions for a bypass.
Parsons said there were few similarities between the two petition drives.
“We did not intend this to be a drive like the first one and it was not,” Parsons said.
He noted that the petitions for the most recent drive were offered in fewer locations and for a much shorter duration.
Parsons said the petition drive far overshot its goal. He said the consultant specifically asked for 250 signatures.