The Not-So-Picturesque

Side Of Railroads

(The following letter to Fifth District Congressman Christopher Murphy has been received for publication.)

Dear Congressman Murphy:

Whitefish, Mont., is a bucolic village, known for its local ski resort and outdoor beauty. Clear running water, coming out of the mountains of Glacier National Park run into rivers through the picturesque downtown. The locals are environmentalists who cherish and care for their natural environment. Sound like a picture perfect scenario.... not!

There is a railroad that runs through Whitefish, where my sister and her family live. My sister lives very near the railroad switching station. Keep in mind this is only a switching, not a transfer, station. Several months ago, the railroad came to my sister and offered to purchase their property from them. There was no explanation from the railroad, but upon further research my sister and her husband soon realized that their entire neighborhood had been approached by the railroad, as well. As it turns out, the land that their home sits on and the water running in the river near their home is polluted with diesel coming from the railroad switching station. My sister, her family, and their neighbors must now decide whether to uproot their lives or stay and live within a superfund cleanup site.

Imagine... what a waste transfer station will do to the ground, our groundwater, and our environment if a switching station can do so much damage!

Please stop the building of the waste transfer station.

Thank you for your efforts.

Lindy Lintz

19 Poor House Road, Newtown                                           July 9, 2009