Making Your Voice Heard on the the EJ&E Transaction

CN’s proposed acquisition of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway offers significant transportation benefits to the entire Chicago region. In late August and early September, the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) will hold a series of 8 public hearings on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) that has been prepared by the STB’s Section of Environmental Analysis (SEA) to assess the potential impacts on the communities through which CN freight trains pass today and those to which the CN freight trains would be shifted after the transaction. You can participate several ways:

1) In person: Beginning on July 25, 2008, speaker registration will take place on a first-come, first-served basis by calling the hotline to pre-register in advance (1-800-347-0689), or at the sign-in tables the day of the public meeting. Each speaker will be allocated up to 3 minutes to present his or her comment. To allow as many speakers as possible the opportunity to speak, SEA asks that groups appoint a single spokesperson; that members of the public who have spoken at one of the other seven public meetings wait until others who have not spoken have the opportunity to be heard; and that speakers summarize their written comments rather then reading their full comments verbatim.

2) Written Comments: Comment forms will be provided at the public meetings and will be accepted on site or by mail. Additionally, comment forms or written letters may be postmarked by September 30, 2008, to:

Phillis Johnson-Ball
Surface Transportation Board
395 E Street, SW
Washington, DC 204231
Ref: STB Finance Docket No. 35087

3) Recorded Comments: Court reporters will be available at the public meetings for those who wish to dictate their comments in a more informal setting. Comments may also be recorded at any time during the comment period on the project hotline: 1-800-347-0689.

4) Electronic Comments: Electronic comments can be filed by going to www.stb.dot.gov, then click on "e-filing", then click on "Environmental Comments". Or you can circulate this link which takes you directly to the form:

http://www.stb.dot.gov/Ect1/ecorrespondence.nsf/incoming?OpenForm Please refer to STB Finance Docket No.: FD- 35087-0.

According the SEA’s website on the CN transaction, all comments received - written, E-filed, or oral - will carry equal weight in helping to finalize the EIS and guide the Board in its decision making on this matter. In addition, the SEA asks that, in all contact with the SEA or STB regarding the CN transaction, please refer to STB Finance Docket No. 35087 in all correspondence addressed to the Board. The comment period for the Draft EIS is July 25, 2008 to September 30, 2008.

Public Hearing Schedule: