To: Rahm Emanuel, Mayor
Preserve, Protect and Enhance Englewood
Please defend the residents of Englewood by making sure that Norfolk Southern agrees to protect and enhance our health and environment before it is allowed to expand the 47th Street rail yard. While the economic development that comes from this rail yard expansion is a good thing, it should not come at the expense of community priorities, including public health, our own goals for local economic development and our access to high-quality recreational facilities.
I ask that you oppose the sale of city-owned land needed for this project until Norfolk Southern agrees to a set of reasonable actions that will protect and improve the quality of life for Englewood residents.
Why is this important?
Norfolk Southern is proposing to expand its 47th Street Terminal rail yard in Englewood. The 47th Street Terminal doesn’t just handle rail but is an intermodal facility where freight is transferred from rail to trucks and vice versa. This will increase the size of the yard by 57 percent. It will also cause a significant increase in the number of trucks in and out of the yard.
The project expansion would increase the amount of diesel soot going into Englewood’s air, worsening an already serious problem with air quality and asthma in the Englewood community.