(The following article by Manuel Torres appeared in the Times Picayune on June 4.)
NEW ORLEANS — Jefferson Parish has agreed to drop its threat to close a Canadian National Railroad yard next to the LaSalle Tract, in exchange for information from the railroad on the yard’s operations and the withdrawal of a federal lawsuit against the parish.
Under an agreement the Parish Council is likely to approve today, railroad officials will provide documents the parish has demanded since mid-May, including safety information and an inventory of hazardous materials handled at the site and its emergency-response plans.
The parish, in return, will repeal a May 14 resolution seeking to stop operations at the Mays Yard, where the Canadian National Railroad opened an intermodal facility this year to transfer containers from rail cars to trucks for final delivery.
The agreement, drafted Tuesday, put out the most recent flare between parish officials, who for years have tried to regulate railroads, and railroad executives, who have mostly ignored local laws, citing federal statutes that protect interstate commerce.
But Councilman John Lavarine Jr., whose district includes the yard, said the deal does not mean the parish will abandon its efforts to monitor railroad operations in Jefferson.
“This marriage was formed not out of love. It was a shotgun marriage,” Lavarine said of this week’s compromise. “And I don’t intend to kiss the bride.”
Railroad spokesman Jack Burke declined to discuss the deal until after today’s council vote. But the resolution the council will consider states the Canadian National Railroad is not recognizing parish jurisdiction over its operations and is submitting information “voluntarily.”
Besides submitting its emergency plans, the agreement calls for the railroad to remove obstacles from the yard entrance to allow parish fire trucks access and to file construction plans for the intermodal yard and information about the location of fire hydrants.
The company also will pay for a traffic study at the intersection of Citrus Boulevard and Lead Street, which is used by the trucks carrying containers from the yard, and consult with the parish about recommended changes.
Parish officials said the deal gives them the information they need to monitor safety at the yard and avoids a costly legal battle. The firm had filed suit last week arguing the parish had no legal grounds to demand information or restrict operations at Mays Yard.
The yard is behind the New Orleans Zephyr Field baseball stadium, and close to several residential apartment buildings. An acid spill at the yard in 2000 forced the evacuation of 200 people from a high school baseball tournament at Zephyr Field.
Councilman Nick Giambelluca, who also faced off with the railroads over trains blocking street crossings in Old Metairie, lamented that this week’s agreement does not eliminate the transit of hazardous materials through densely populated areas of the parish.
“I don’t know how much this helps us. But it’s a step in the right direction,” Giambelluca said.