RESOLUTION
NO. 

1% CI ALL: Jul 23 2015
L,

New Orleans City Council is committed to protecting and enhancing

   

 

i

     

WHEREAS,
the quality of its neighborhoods and minimizing the impact of freight traf?c on its communities;
and

WHEREAS, the New Orleans Rail Gateway (N ORG) is the fourth largest rail gateway in
the country and services six (6) of the seven (7) national Class I railroads, the New Orleans
Public Belt Railroad and Amtrak. The NORG stretches from Avondale via the Huey P. Long
Bridge, and travels through the City of New Orleans along three (3) major rail lines, the ?Front
Belt?, the ?Middle Belt?, and the ?Back Belt?; and

i WHEREAS, the ?Front Belt? line begins at the base of the Huey P. Long Bridge and
travels eastward along tracks owned by the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad, then turns south
toward the Mississippi River, runs parallel to the Mississippi River through the French Quarter,
continues along the west side of the Industrial Canal, to the Almonaster Bridge; and

WHEREAS, the ?Middle Belt? line, which currently carries only passenger train traf?c,
begins at the Huey P. Long'Bridge, proceeds east and passes beneath Earhart Boulevard, turns
north toward Airline Drive, then continues along Airline Drive to the Tulane Avenue/Airline
Drive interchange before rejoining the Back Belt line at East City Junction. The Louisiana
Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) currently estimates that approximately
?ve (5) passenger trains travel along the Middle Belt daily; and 

WHEREAS, the ?Back Belt? rail line, which currently carries most of the freight train
traf?c that travels along the NORG, begins at the Huey P. Long Bridge, proceeds through the
East Bridge Junction, travels east through Jefferson Parish and ends at the Almonaster Bridge
over the Industrial Canal. The DOTD estimates that approximately thirty-two (32) freight trains
travel along the Back Belt line daily; and

WHEREAS, the New Orleans Rail Gateway Program (N ORGP), a group comprised of
the Louisiana Department of Transportation, the Regional Planning Commission, and the

Association of American Railroads, is conducting a study of, among other things, the feasibility

of diverting all freight traf?c through New Orleans from the Back Belt line to the Middle Belt
line, which would send all freight traf?c through four (4) residential New Orleans neighborhoods
Palm Air, and Mid-City; and

WHEREAS, the DOTD estimates that freight rail traf?c will increase by ?fty-seven
percent by 2020; and

WHEREAS, the City Council recognizes that freight rail traf?c presents substantial
threats to public health, safety, and welfare, including, air pollution, noise pollution, increased
automobile and pedestrian accidents, and diminished quality of life; and

WHEREAS, federal regulations permit freight trains to produce noise levels up to
ninety-three decibels as measured from one hundred feet away, a level that the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention recommends be limited to no more than two hours without using
hearing protection; and I

WHEREAS, freight rail traf?c produces increased levels of nitrous oxide and particle
pollutants known to contribute to serious health conditions, including respiratory and
cardiovascular disease, asthma, and bronchitis; and

WHEREAS, freight rail traf?c produces increased vibration in the surrounding areas,
which can shake buildings, rattle Windows, and cause substantial structural damage to nearby
homes and businesses; and

WHEREAS, most of the freight rail-cars currently are outdated cars,
which are known to be more likely to rupture, and which have been factors in recent major train
car explosions in North Dakota, Virginia, West Virginia, and South Carolina; and

WHEREAS, freight rail traf?c through residential neighborhoods requires increased
public crossings, thereby increasing rail interaction with automobiles and pedestrians; and

WHEREAS, the Federal Railroad Administration has reported three-hundred and forty-
nine (349) highway-rail crossing accidents in the state of Louisiana over the past three years; and

WHEREAS, Neighbors Associtation, the Neighborhood
Association, the Palm Air Civic Association, and the Mid-City Neighborhood Organization have
all expressed strong opposition to diverting freight rail traf?c to the Middle Belt, including
concerns about the impact of the derailment of toxic or combustible freight, the loss of

residential, business, and public property, and air pollution, noise pollution and vibrations, which

will adversely affect health, will prevent the quiet enjoyment of their neighborhoods and will
diminish their prOperty values and quality of life; and

WHEREAS, community leaders from across Orleans and Jefferson Parish have formed
the Coalition United Against the Middle Belt Option of the New Orleans Rail Gateway Project
(the Coalition), a multi-neighborhood, multi-parish campaign to raise awareness about the
NORGP and the Middle Belt option, and whose slogan ?We Won?t Be Railroaded? appears on
yard signs across the city; and

WHEREAS, the Coalition has held a series of community meetings with state and local
of?cials to educate residents about the study and the harmful impacts that may result from re-
routing freight rail traf?c along the Middle Belt line; and

WHEREAS, the Coalition, impacted neighborhood organizations and residents, have
expressed serious concerns about the transparency, scoping, and veracity of the environmental
impact study legally required under the National Environmental Protection Act; and

WHEREAS, leading civil rights and environmental legal experts have expressed
concerns about the public notice of the scoping meeting held in February 2012 as part of the
environmental impact study; and

WHEREAS, leading environmental legal experts consider the ?scoping? stage of the
environmental impact study to be the most critical stage, as the baseline and scope of impacts to
be considered?or not considered?~can radically alter the outcome of an environmental impact
study; and

WHEREAS, the Coalition, community leaders, and residents stated that the information
presented at the follow up NORGP Environmental Impact Study Community Meeting held on
January 23, 2014, was far too esoteric and technical for them to understand; NOW,
THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED, That the New Orleans City Council hereby opposes re-routing
freight train traf?c from the Back Belt to the Middle Belt line and requests that the NORGP
explore alternative options that do not jeopardize the health, safety, and welfare of the
Palm Air, and Mid-City communities of New Orleans.

THE FOREGOING RESOLUTION WAS READ IN FULL, THE ROLL WAS
CALLED ON THE ADOPTION THEREOF AND RESULTED AS FOLLOWS:

YEAS:

NAYS:

ABSENT:

AND THE RESOLUTION WAS ADOPTED.