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Winnebago County Board Passes Resolution Against Great Lakes Basin Railroad

The Winnebago County Board unanimously approved a resolution Thursday opposing the construction of the Great Lakes Basin Railroad.

The 261-mile railroad would pass through six Illinois counties and into Rock County, Wisconsin, to bypass congested Chicago freight lines. .  However, opposition groups have formed in many of the affected counties, including a group which claims more than 14,000 members in Winnebago County. 

Organizer Brock McWillams says one of their biggest concerns was the company’s planned use of eminent domain, rather than connecting to existing rail routes.

“Their response was that they can not go into another business or another railroad and acquire their tracks.  But the funny thing is they can go to the private citizens, the people who actually care for the land, the people who are the caretakers and the stewards of the land, and they can take their property, and their ground, and use it for their profit.”

Hence the group slogan, "No eminent domain for corporate gain."  But McWilliams says the resolution is only a first step. 

“Now that we all stand together, it all makes our stand stronger, to move forward.  But there’s still a lot of paperwork to do.  We still need to write our representatives and we still need to write the Surface Transportation Board.”

The STB is currently evaluating the environmental impact for the Great Lakes Basin Railroad.  But the opposition specifically intends to write in, hoping the board will reopen the project's public comment period.  

That period ended in July, but Winnebago County wasn't made aware of the railroad's shift in path from Boone County until September (Boone County's board passed a similar resolution).  

McWilliams says that action, and many others, require getting the word out.  

“The whole idea is to inform and educate and let people know what they are up against and what we can do to move forward to come together as a community, to stay together as a family, and to be strong in our approach to defeat eminent domain and Great Lakes Basin Railroad.” 

Although the Winnebago County Board passed the resolution against GLBR, the Rockford Metropolitan Agency for Planning voted 5-0-1 in June to send a letter of support to the STB.  

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