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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
OPPOSING THE PROPOSED AMTRAK MIDWEST MAINTENANCE FACILITY AT THE UNION PACIFIC CANAL YARD AND CALLING FOR COMPREHENSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND MEANINGFUL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
WHEREAS, Amtrak is proposing to construct a Midwest Maintenance Facility at the Union Pacific Canal Yard in Chicago, supported by up to $572 million in federal funding, along with an additional $87 million for related Canal Street bridge and viaduct improvements; and
WHEREAS, the proposed facility and associated rail traffic would directly affect the communities of Chinatown, Pilsen, Armour Square, Bronzeville and Bridgeport, with residents, schools, senior housing, parks, and other community institutions in these neighborhoods potentially experiencing the project’s environmental, noise, traffic, and quality-of-life impacts; and
WHEREAS, the proposed facility would be a major rail maintenance operation that could operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, immediately adjacent to the heavily used Armour Square Park, just a few blocks from the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) campus and the Armour Square Senior Homes, T.E. Brown Senior Apartments, Wentworth Gardens Homes and within approximately one mile of numerous schools, including Robert Healy Elementary School, Minnie Miñoso Academy, Air Force Academy High School, Armour Elementary School, Bridgeport Catholic Academy and De La Salle Institute; and
WHEREAS, at its current location, Amtrak trains make relatively short trips to and from Chicago’s Union Station. Moving the maintenance facility farther south would require trains to travel farther for fueling, cleaning, catering and maintenance. Those additional movements would pass through the already busy rail corridor at 21st Street Bridge and Alton Junction, where Amtrak, Metra and freight trains share the tracks. With nearly 100 trains using the bridge each day, adding more Amtrak movements could increase congestion, make an already complex rail system more difficult to operate, and cause additional train idling and pollution concerns; and
WHEREAS, the proposed project raises significant concerns regarding diesel locomotive emissions and particulate matter, noise, vibration, hazardous materials, fuel and wastewater, stormwater runoff, potential soil and groundwater contamination, industrial lighting, construction impacts, and the cumulative environmental impacts associated with existing and proposed railroad and transportation activities; and
WHEREAS, the residents of the surrounding neighborhoods, including Armour Square, Chinatown, Bridgeport, Pilsen and Bronzeville, along with the surrounding communities, deserve a transparent and meaningful opportunity to understand, evaluate and participate in decisions concerning a project that could have permanent environmental and quality-of-life consequences for their neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, the Cook County Board of Commissioners recognizes the importance of protecting the health, safety, environment and quality of life of Cook County residents and believes that major infrastructure projects receiving substantial public funding should be subject to rigorous environmental review, transparency and meaningful community participation.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners hereby expresses its opposition to the proposed Amtrak Midwest Maintenance Facility at the Union Pacific Canal Yard in its current form and location due to significant environmental, health, safety and quality-of-life concerns; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners calls upon Amtrak and the appropriate federal, state and local agencies to pause further advancement of the project until a comprehensive assessment of its potential environmental and community impacts has been completed and made available for public review; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the environmental review should specifically evaluate air quality and diesel particulate matter, noise, vibration, stormwater, hazardous materials, wastewater, soil and groundwater, traffic, lighting, construction impacts, and the cumulative effects of the proposed facility together with existing railroad and transportation activities in the surrounding community; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners urges the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Railroad Administration to conduct rigorous environmental and regulatory review of the proposed project to ensure that all applicable environmental protections and public participation requirements are fully satisfied; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners urges Amtrak to work with the affected communities and their elected representatives to identify reasonable alternatives and project modifications that would prevent or substantially reduce adverse environmental and quality-of-life impacts; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that suitable copies of this Resolution shall be transmitted to Amtrak; the Federal Railroad Administration; the United States Environmental Protection Agency; the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency; the Governor of the State of Illinois; the Attorney General of the State of Illinois; the Mayor of the City of Chicago; the Illinois Sports Facility Authority; the members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation; and other appropriate governmental and regulatory authorities.
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