The Rhode Island Senate Committee on Finance had a presentation and question and answer session with Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Officials on February 28. That video is now available. The […]
US Senator Richard Blumenthal and Connecticut US Representative Courtney write that the Old Saybrook to Kenyon Bypass “would cause massive disturbance to the lives and livelihoods of tens of thousands of residents who now live in the proposed route’s path. It would decimate the unique charm and historic character of several centuries-old towns like Old Lyme. It would disrupt major job centers and tourist attractions like the aquarium and historic seaport in Mystic,”
Senator Murphy called on the Federal Railroad Administration on Tuesday to heed the concerns of Connecticut residents before finalizing a plan for the NEC FUTURE project along the Northeast Corridor. Murphy also expressed serious concerns with the FRA’s proposed new rail line in southeastern Connecticut, which does not adequately address the historical and environmental worries of residents who live along the proposed route.
The “Old Saybrook to Kenyon Bypass” portion of the proposal lies within or runs immediately adjacent to the focus area for the Great Thicket National Wildlife Refuge, where land acquisition authority has been granted to conserve important fish and wildlife resources.
The proposal could have substantial effects on managing these species over time, including impacts to habitat connectivity, direct habitat loss, reduction in habitat quality adjacent to the rail lines, and the direct reduction in available habitat.
The State supports the Preferred Alternative except for the Old Saybrook to Kenyon Bypass portion in Southern Rhode Island. This Bypass contains a conceptual 6-mile re-alignment of tracks which poses tremendous environmental and land use impacts to unique resources that are largely irreplaceable.
We believe that it would be an error to embed the bypass in the NEC Future project in Tier 1. The impacts in Rhode Island and its extraordinary costs balanced against its actual benefits in our state do not appear to warrant it. The requisite level of detailed environmental review in Tier 1 is not present; therefore it is critical not to have the bypass embedded in the project through a Tier 1 ROD. Your openness to taking our position into account is appreciated.
Charlestown received the unanimous support of the Jamestown Town Council to remove the Old Saybrook to Kenyon Bypass from the Tier 1 Final EIS.
In our opinion, the implementation of the Selected Alternative is premature. FRA’s selection of the Preferred Alternative was based solely on engineering and economic criteria. Environmental and cultural resources were not afforded due consideration during the assessment of the Preferred Alternative.
On behalf of the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation, Connecticut’s statewide historic preservation advocacy organization, and SECoast, our special project dedicated to organizing and educating the public to protect Southeastern Connecticut and the Lower Connecticut River Valley, we submit the following comments to provide feedback on the Preferred Alternative and the contents of the Tier 1 Final EIS for NEC Future.
We have organized a notable volume of informed commentary on the NEC Future Plan, but remain concerned that the Federal Railroad Administration has not acknowledged public, municipal, legislative, or Congressional concerns expressed in two states about their fundamentally flawed planning process, insufficient public outreach, or un-substantiated inclusion of the Old Saybrook to Kenyon bypass in the F-EIS.
We seek your explanation as to whether you can legally alter the selected alternative in the ROD and remove the Westerly-Hopkinton-Charlestown-South Kingstown bypass as the state and communities have requested. If the FRA has the authority to remove the bypass as part of the alternative selected in the Tier I EIS ROD, we would ask that you exercise that authority.
We also write to reiterate that Rhode Island, specifically Providence, must remain a central part of the NEC. Any alternative that results in service bypassing the state is completely unacceptable.
Dozens of homes, three historic mill villages, including Burdickville, Columbia Heights and Kenyon, active and historic farms, including the Amos Green Farm and Stoney Hill Farm, Narragansett Tribal land, 17 private open space properties, the Francis Carter Preserve owned by The Nature Conservancy, and an archived Superfund site which was once the location of a nuclear processing facility. In addition the By-Pass crosses the Pawcatuck River, nominated by Congress as a Wild and Scenic River, and lies entirely within the land management area of the recently established Fish and Wildlife Great Thicket National Wildlife Refuge and the EPA designated Wood-Pawcatuck Sole Source Aquifer.
The Town Council of the Town of Exeter hereby opposes a change to the railroad alignment …
This South Kingstown Town Council resolution from January 23rd asks for an extension in the time to reply to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). That was answered by the FRA with a willingness to accept our comments up until the day the Record of Decision is published.
The SK Town Council does agree that the proposal will have too many negative impacts to the environment, farms, Narragansett Tribal land, protected conservation land, historic villages, and private homes.
The state of Rhode Island, municipalities, foundations, non-profit organizations and the federal government have made considerable investments to protect these preserves and other properties in Rhode Island’s communities for their natural resource (including habitat for rare and endangered species, watershed and water quality protection), cultural, and public recreational values. These investments were NOT made with the intention of creating a “land bank” that could be used as the “path of least resistance” for new transportation infrastructure such as the proposed new rail corridor being considered for the bypass.
You can learn more about the Rhode Island Land Trust Council at their website.
Though I fully support the critical aspects of the NEC FUTURE Tier 1 Final EIS referenced above, I do not support the Rhode Island portion of the Old Saybrook-Kenyon Bypass as it is currently proposed.
The route the Bypass takes in Rhode Island cuts through environmentally sensitive conservation land, drinking water resources, Narragansett Indian tribal land, family farms, and historic districts. I encourage FRA to move any decisions on realignment through this segment of Rhode Island into a Tier 2 process, which will allow for a more complete evaluation of these environmental and community concerns.
The DOI notes the omission of the Wood-Pawcatuck Wild and Scenic River study from the Federal Railroad Administration NEC Future Tier 1 Final EIS. They don’t mention the omission of the Great Thicket National Wildlife Refuge however. Great Thicket does get mentioned in comments from other organizations however.
Whereas, through lack of specific outreach on the part of the Federal Railroad Administration, the affected Towns, the citizens, and impacted property owners were wholly unaware of the proposed new route alignment
The Columbia Heights neighborhood is an historic community unique to Rhode Island. Constructed in 1918 as a mill village community for the Clarke’s Mill at Horseshoe Falls in Shannock, the neighborhood was hailed for its innovative design in providing modern worker housing of that era. The dwellings all reflect the sturdy craftsman style construction of the period and most have been restored. The entire neighborhood is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
Please consider these comments and points of information that were not part of the initial study during the selection of the NEC alternative. The alternative currently identified in the FEIS as the preferred alternative will have profound impacts on Westerly’s natural resources and environment.
While the proposed changes may make it possible for people who live in Boston to travel to New York a bit faster, for the people in South County it will only threaten their water supply, challenge their well-being, and deny the voice and actions of the thousands of people who have worked to preserve land.
I have personally heard from hundreds of constituents who oppose the proposed realignment in Washington County, and I want them to know that I have heard their concerns and I support their community,” said Langevin. “I am a strong proponent of high-speed rail, but I believe there must be a solution that modernizes intercity passenger rail in Rhode Island without disturbing ecosystems, impinging on property rights, and threatening the natural beauty of Charlestown and surrounding areas.
Note from CCA: This Press Release from Senator Reed’s Office does not give a specific date for the extension except it would be at “least several weeks”. That would put […]
“This has been one of my family’s favorite hiking spots for the last 20 years or more. I’ve grown up in those woods, on these trails and can’t imagine my life without them. Not only has it been educational learning about the ecosystem and wildlife that resides there but it’s a place of tranquility. To say that I’m opposed to the proposal set forth by the Federal Railroad Administration is an understatement.”
“In doing so it bisects the Frances C. Carter Memorial Reserve. This reserve was completely overlooked in the EIS analysis. The straightening also manages to cut through the Amos Green Farm and the Stoney Hill Cattle Co, which is a 4th Generation Family Farm. It also fills in wetlands at the Burlingame Wild Life Preserve and the Great Swamp Management Area in Kingston. Because the trains already travel at high speeds, it is difficult to see why this expenditure is needed. And the few seconds (if any gained) hardly justify the economic and environmental damage done by rerouting the tracks.”
We are here to defend the natural and human resources that this proposal destroys. This preferred route includes the degradation of homes, farms, our watershed and conserved lands of the Nature Conservancy, local Land Trusts, RIDEM, Tribal and municipalities. We have a legal obligation to object to the sale, degradation or taking of these lands. There are legally binding conservation easements and management plans attached to conserved properties, with the intent of preservation in perpetuity. Perpetuity meaning forever, protected on the basis of common trust and not to be violated.
This short film was created by Carla Ricci, owner of the Amos Greene Farm. The historic Amos Greene Farm is one of the many farms or parklands protected by conservation easements along the path of the proposed train route through Westerly, Charlestown and Richmond. Those easements protect the land from a change of use by future owners, developers, and state and local government. Will they be strong enough to stand up to the state of Rhode Island if the Federal Government is their partner? Where the state holds the easement, they have a legal obligation to enforce the easement – even enforce it against another state agency. Contracts are not always followed, especially when no one is watching, but we are watching and ready to fight!
On December 23, The Wood Pawcatuck Watershed Association released the following statement about the Federal Railroad Administration Plan to create new rail lines in Charlestown and other affected towns. “The […]
Charlestown resident Kevin Tanner has set up a petition at MoveOn.org to let State and Federal officials know there is local opposition to the proposed railway path in Charlestown. The […]
Following an extensive public process, and with overwhelming public support, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has finalized the creation of Great Thicket National Wildlife Refuge, dedicated to conserving and managing shrubland and young forests for wildlife in New England and eastern New York. The approval of the refuge marks a key step, enabling the Service to now work with willing and interested landowners to acquire land.
The Salt Ponds Coalition is dedicated to the preservation and restoration of Southern Rhode Islands Salt Ponds. This short film was produced by Vic Dvorak, a former executive director of the […]
