IL HR0437

Great Lakes Basin Transportation, Inc. (GLBT) filed an application with the Federal Surface Transportation Board on May 1, 2017 to construct and operate a 260-mile private rail line through Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin

The proposed railway would cut through residential properties and farmland, with Grundy County and Kankakee County facing estimated losses of $70 million and $90 million annually respectively in agricultural revenue

The resolution opposes use of eminent domain for private commercial gain, asserting that eminent domain should only be used for public benefit

The railway faces bipartisan opposition from elected officials across three states and certain public railroads, and would damage property owner rights, endanger the Kankakee River, and harm local wildlife and communities

The House of Representatives urges against the GLBT railway project and calls for a copy of this resolution to be delivered to the Federal Surface Transportation Board