Washington – Senators Richard Lugar and Evan Bayh, Governor Mitch Daniels, and Congressman Pete Visclosky today filed a letter with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to request a second public hearing in Northwest Indiana on the pending CN/EJ&E transaction and to extend the public comment period by at least 30 days. The only public hearing scheduled in Northwest Indiana will take place on Wednesday, September 10, from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Indiana University Northwest, and the public comment period is scheduled to close on September 30.

“It is important that Hoosiers in Northwest Indiana have the ability to have their thoughts and concerns heard by the STB," Lugar said. "I appreciated the STB supporting our request for an Environmental Impact Study and I am hopeful this request for increased transparency and communication will be accommodated.”

“All Hoosiers deserve to have a voice in important decisions that will shape the future of their communities,” said Bayh. “A premature deadline for public comment risks shutting out the residents whose daily lives would be impacted by this deal. Regardless of the final outcome, this process must ensure that the views of Hoosiers from across the region are heard and respected. A second hearing should be held, and the public comment period extended.”

“With the significant impact on Northwest Indiana and the great desire by individuals and local governments to participate in the STB process, I join our federal representatives in calling for an extension of the public comment period and at least one additional hearing in Indiana where our citizens and policymakers have ample opportunity to have their voices heard,” said Daniels.

“The lives of people in Northwest Indiana will be significantly impacted if the CN/EJ&E transaction is approved,” said Visclosky. “We deserve every opportunity possible to express our concerns over the safety, environmental, and quality of life issues surrounding this deal. The public comments have been extensive so far, and the STB ought to provide further public comment opportunities so that everybody’s voice may be heard. I hope the STB honors these two simple requests, and I encourage the people of Northwest Indiana to attend this week’s public hearing in Gary, learn more about the transaction, and take advantage of the remaining public comment period.”

In the letter, Lugar, Bayh, Daniels, and Visclosky note that the more than 250,000 residents of Dyer, Schererville, Griffith, Gary, Hammond, East Chicago, and Whiting, Northwest Indiana’s impacted communities, “will each experience significantly more train traffic, which will result in increased congestion and air-pollution from cars waiting at grade crossings, and an increase in the risk of vehicle-train and pedestrian-train collisions.” Because of the extensive impacts on Northwest Indiana and the unprecedented level of input from interested parties, the letter requests additional public hearings in Indiana and an extension of the public comment period by a minimum of 30 days.

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