George Tremblay’s Comments to NEC Future on Railroad Plan

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The following letter was sent to NEC Future and is shared with us here by the author George C. Tremblay. Mr. Tremblay is the recently retired Vice President of the Charlestown Town Council.


NEC FUTURE                                                                                   27 December 2016
U.S. DOT Federal Railroad Administration
One Bowling Green, Suite 429
New York, NY 10004                                                            Re:  Railroad through Charlestown, RI

To Whom It May Concern:

The following correspondence was sent to U.S. Senator Jack Reed, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, and U.S. Representative James Langevin:

Charlestown experienced a surprise Christmas-week announcement by the Federal Railway Administration that the FRA plans to bisect our town with a new high-speed track that runs from its western edge through homes in the bucolic Burdickville village, across a four-generation farm-to-table operation on top of Schumankanuc Hill, over Native-American tribal land through the center of the 1,100-acre Carter Preserve (owned by The Nature Conservancy), and splitting the Revolutionary-era Amos Green Farm, adjacent properties protected by conservation easements, and federally funded Historic Columbia Heights housing, to reconnect with the existing railroad near the eastern edge of town.  A vigilant citizen picked up on the stealth Christmas-week announcement, and sounded the alarm.  Although this plan has enormous impact on protected and preserved lands in Charlestown, no effort was made by the FRA to consult town government about the plan.  Bureaucratic announcements in arcane federal bulletins don’t excuse neglect of local government in official correspondence on issues of local concern.  I urge you to exercise whatever authority you have to stop this plan until adequate engagement of local government is achieved.

Respectfully yours,

George Tremblay
4530 South Country Trail
Charlestown, RI 02813

GeorgeTremblay
George Tremblay

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