(The following article by Katrina Cornwell was posted on the Gallatin News Examiner website on August 26.)
GALLATIN, Tenn. — Tennessee Valley Authority has offered to spend millions to minimize any negative impacts of coal trains on Gallatin.
TVA officials say the company would spend $2.5 million on rail upgrades so that coal trains could roll through the city faster.
CSX has also offered up several operational changes it would make to address train traffic if it is awarded the coal delivery contract.
TVA is expected to decide on whether to make the switch from barges to trains on or before Aug. 31.
That only leaves about a week for talks between TVA, CSX and the city before the coal train plan could officially become a reality.
Betty Scott, of Gallatin, said that deadline is unreasonable.
Scott wants to know why TVA can’t wait until a full board of directors is appointed to make this decision.
“We’re talking about something that could be completely disruptive to our city,” she said. “This is a tremendous decision for TVA. It has a lot of consequences.”
In the next few days, TVA staff will make its recommendation on the coal delivery plan to the company’s president and chief operating officer who would then make a recommendation to the TVA Board, said TVA spokesman John Moulton.
There may not be another face-to-face meeting of board members for this decision, Moulton said.
“Under federal law individual TVA board members may independently consider and approve items through a notational approval process, as opposed to deferring action on such items until the next board meeting,” he said.
The Aug. 31 deadline exists because a fuel surcharge would be added to the bottom line for coal trains after that date, said Jacky Preslar, fossil power group manager for TVA.
The Gallatin City Council voted Tuesday to appoint District 2 Council Member Dale Bennett as its spokesman to negotiate with TVA and CSX.
City leaders and residents are worried that coal trains could impact emergency services, safety, security, access to schools, transportation, public services, commercial and economic development initiatives.
With the clock ticking, TVA and CSX restated their offer for rail upgrades and operational changes for city council members Tuesday.
CSX would place locomotives and engineers on both ends of the trains serving TVA, said Jane Covington, CSX resident vice president for corporate communications and public affairs.
Covington said in the meeting that CSX is working to develop a plan to mitigate the concerns of emergency responders in Gallatin and Sumner County.
Notification of trains and breaking the train to clear the crossing in the event of a mechanical breakdown are two ways those concerns could be addressed, she said.
Covington said coal trains would not be the disruption to the city that they had been in the past.
“There’s technology available today that was not previously available,” she said. “We just want to make sure everyone understands we will still take the concerns of the community into account.”
Gallatin Mayor Don Wright said breaking the train when it reaches Gray Street could be the city’s answer.
“If, as TVA and CSX suggests, that ‘in a problematic situation, the coal train can be uncoupled and moved by two locomotives in opposite directions to ensure not blocking public thoroughfares,’ then why could a train upon arriving in Gallatin, Tennessee not be uncoupled at Gray Street, allowing one-half, approximately 65 cars of the train to move through Gallatin – then a few hours later the second half of the train to follow,” Wright asked.
Company officials have said it would take anywhere from six to 23 minutes for coal trains to clear railroad crossings.
However, the proposed rail upgrades could reduce that time down to about six minutes in some areas, officials said.
One of the biggest proposed rail upgrades involves the installation of continuous or ribbon rail on the C & N spur.
TVA officials say trains will move through railroad crossings over 31 E, S.R. 109 and Airport Road in about 6.5 minutes once the new rail is installed.
Wright said that time could be cut in half if CSX would break the train at Gray Street each time the 135-car train rolled into Gallatin.
“Using TVA’s figures, it should only take three to four minutes to clear a thoroughfare if the train is 65 cars long,” he said.
The time it takes to unload the coal trains at the Gallatin Steam Plant would not be disrupted by breaking the train, Wright said.
“Using TVA’s figures, it takes 7-10 hours to unload and inspect 145 cars once it reaches the steam plant, then in reality, uncoupling the train and running 65 cars separately, inbound and outbound at Gray Street, would not hinder delivery, or time of arrival, and unloading in any fashion.”
City Councilman-at-large Ed Mayberry said the city leaders will work to find answers to the problems coal trains could create.
“The mayor and the city council will continue to pursue assistance in this matter all the way from the President of the United States to whomever else could help us get our concerns about the situation known to the decision makers in this matter,” Mayberry said.
“I still prefer there not be a coal train going through the middle of town and will continue to work with the mayor and others to find solutions to this.
“At the end of the day, if we aren’t able to resolve this issue, we’ll pursue all avenues of mitigation to make this as painless as possible,” Mayberry said.
TVA has projected it could save several millions a year by bringing coal to the Gallatin Steam Plant on trains.
Those savings, officials say, would put the plant in a more competitive position.
That position would be weakened by continued barge delivery of coal, said TVA spokesman John Moulton.
“Staying with barge delivery of coal will make the plant less competitive,” Moulton said. “If for some reason TVA loses any of its customer base and needs less generation, then higher cost plants would be put in jeopardy of not being operated.”
TVA opened up for business in Gallatin in late 1953, Moulton said.
Currently, the annual payroll at Gallatin is $21 million and the plant supports 328 jobs, he said.