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MONDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2001

Treaty rights and environmental impacts notwithstanding, a plan to extend railroad track through the Black Hills of South Dakota has more positives than negatives, says The Sioux Falls Argus Leader in an editorial today.

The paper acknowledges that rights implicated by the treaties of 1851 and 1868 may need to be resolved in the courts. But when everything is considered, the paper says the project's "net benefits make it worth pursuing."

Tribal opponents have joined forces with environmentalists, ranchers and others to oppose the expansion by by the Dakota Minnesota & Eastern Railroad. The Department of Transportation's Surface Transportation Board last month issued a final EIS giving a favorable approval to the project.

The project involves laying down almost 300 miles of new track from the Black Hills in South Dakota to the Powder River Basin coal mines of Wyoming.

Get the Story:
Editorial: Benefits of DM&E outweigh negatives (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 12/17)

More on the Expansion:
PUBLIC NOTICE: Release of Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Notice of Public Meetings and Public Comment Period Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad’s (DM&E) Proposed Powder River Basin Expansion Project

Relevant Links:
Surface Transportation Board - http://www.stb.dot.gov
DM&E - http://www.dmerail.com

Related Stories:
Black Hills rail opponents rally (12/10)
Support mixed on Black Hills railroad (11/27)
Black Hills rail gets approval (11/20)
Court battle seen over Black Hills rail (11/1)
Report due on Black Hills railroad (10/15)
Interior opposes railroad expansion (4/2)