(The following story by Andre Salles appeared on the Geneva Sun website on May 15, 2009.)
CHICAGO — President Barack Obama has a chance to make his mark on the railroad industry by appointing a new member to the federal Surface Transportation Board. And local opponents of increasing suburban rail traffic are urging him to pick someone with a community-minded background.
The STB oversees all rail transactions in the United States. In December, the three-member board approved the $300 million sale of the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern rail line to Canadian National Railway Company, a deal opposed by legislators from the Fox Valley and a coalition of suburban municipalities.
Opponents of the sale faulted the STB for not fully examining the impact the transaction would have on local communities. They claim the STB ignored thousands of local residents who wrote letters and gave statements opposing the deal.
With one of the seats on the STB opening up — member W. Douglas Buttrey resigned in March — local legislators are hoping Obama addresses what they see as an imbalance on the board.
“Obviously there’s been a disconnect,” said state Sen. Linda Holmes, D-Aurora. “So many residents were willing to speak up, and put their hearts and souls into this … and they feel like the answer was predetermined.”
Holmes is one of the architects of Illinois Senate Resolution 273, which asks Obama to select someone for the STB who will “consider population growth and economic impact when evaluating railway acquisitions.”
Other sponsors of the legislation include state Reps. Linda Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora, Darlene Senger, R-Naperville and Tom Cross, R-Oswego, and state Sen. Chris Lauzen, R-Aurora.
There is another reason opponents of the EJ&E deal want to see the vacancy filled: without a three-member STB in place, two appeals of the sale will go nowhere, according to Ryan McLaughlin, spokesman for the suburban coalition The Regional Answer to Canadian National.
The village of Barrington and Will County both filed complaints with the U.S. Court of Appeals earlier this year.
“The (court) isn’t going to rule until the STB appoints a third person,” McLaughlin said.
STB members are selected by the president. Members serve for five years.
Also this week, CN filed its second monthly report with the STB, covering accidents and delays on the EJ&E line in April. The report lists one accident, on railroad property in Chicago, and 14 delays caused by stopped trains.