One has to wonder how this will play in Rochester?
"Survey says: Minnesotans like DM&E upgrade plan
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August 15, 2006
NEW ULM, Minn. - A survey of Minnesotans conducted last week revealed that residents favor the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern’s plan to upgrade its railroad across the southern part of the state. Asked why they favor it, supporters said it would improve rail safety. The survey was conducted for a coalition of communities, agriculture, and economic development organizations that support DM&E’s plan to rebuild 600 miles of track and construct 260 new miles of new main line to reach coal mines in the Powder River Basin of eastern Wyoming. The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and others in the Rochester area have opposed the project. DM&E has applied for a $2.4 billion loan from the Federal Railroad Administration to fund construction.
The statewide survey found that 74 percent favor the DM&E plan, while 10.4 percent oppose it, and 15.7 percent did not know or refused to answer. It found that 71 percent believed the DM&E project would “give the region’s farmers a boost” by increasing production of ethanol. Only 12.7 percent agreed with a statement that “upgrading the track will harm the safety of Mayo Clinic patients.” The survey of 400 likely voters was conducted August 8 and 9
With all the comments on previous threads, mostly pro, and some con, I was wondering how this was playing with the folks up in Minnesota who are directly effected by this line. They will have to spin this like a top!
I think it just goes to show that what the Mayo clinic wants is not necessarily what Minnesota wants. The whole economy of the state is not predicated on the Mayo clinic. Seems to me that agriculture plays a pretty big role in the state, too.
Here is a cut and paste from the TRAINS Newswire for 24 Aug.2006:
Apparently the DM&E/ MayoClinic BrouHaHa has developed into a dueling media campaign. So here is what was added.
DM&E supporters hold rally in Rochester
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August 24, 2006
ROCHESTER, Minn. - The day after Rochester’s Mayo Clinic released a poll indicating opposition to Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern’s planned expansion into Wyoming’s Powder River Basin, a group supporting the expansion held a rally in Rochester, the only city along the railroad that remains opposed to the project. The rally was sponsored by GOTRAC, a coalition of communities, agriculture associations, and economic development organizations supporting the project.
Leaders of the rally urged Rochester civic leaders to openly initiate a dialogue with the DM&E about its proposed upgrade instead of rehashing arguments the city has already lost before federal agencies and the U.S. courts.
“If they are serious about ‘tracking the truth’, they should be willing to have an open dialogue with the railroad so the public can hear what the truth is,” said Randy Rieke, General Manager of the Farmers Coop of Hanska and Minnesota Chairman of GOTRAC. "They refuse to do that. They are not tracking the truth. They are hiding from it