DC Council Hearing on CSX Rail Expansion Project Wed. Morning

From an email:

“The DC Council Committee of the Whole is holding a hearing on Wednesday (4/30) at 9:30am regarding CSX’s proposed expansion of the Virginia Avenue Tunnel. The scheduled location is Hearing Room 120 at the Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW).

This hearing is important because it will represent the first time any elected leader or body has exercised any oversight authority with respect to this proposed and very controversial project which could be approved at any minute.

CSX is asking for District and federal approval to expand the existing tunnel running along 9 blocks of Virginia Avenue SE in the Navy Yard/Capitol Hill community. The current proposal includes running trains at times loaded with Bakken crude oil and other hazmats in a huge open trench less than a mile from the U.S. Capitol Building and feet from homes, parks, and a low-income senior citizens’ center for the duration of the project, which could last 3-6+ years. Many citizens, environmental organizations, and elected officials have expressed serious concerns about the impact of this project on the the health, safety, and security of not only the trackside community, but of the District’s residents as a whole. Many individuals and organizations will bring those concerns before the DC Council at Wednesday’s hearing. Please visit www.DCSafeRail.org for more information.”