Environment: February 2008 Archives

As The Sun has dutifully reported, the proposed acquisition of the EJ&E by the Canadian National means one thing for Naperville - a ton of freight trains rolling through the city at all hours of the day and night. Forget the noise - although that's bad enough - but what about the increased safety hazards to cars, pedestrians and even school buses that have to navigate through the perilous railroad crossings? But help may be on the way. As an update to this story The Sun has exclusively reported that the Dupage Forest District is standing up to the powerful railway barons and drawing a line in the sand, or make that a forest preserve. The Canadian National needs a one-acre parcel smack dab in a DuPage forest preserve for a critical switching station. The District is saying no dice - we're not selling. Will this one acre make a difference in the long run to the acquisition? Who knows. But it's kind of nice to see that an organization dedicated to the preservation of green space is doing what they consider the right thing - saying NO WAY, we don't want your railroad. What do you think? The conversation is now open.