A Call to Action

The Canadian National Railway Company (CN) is a highly profitable, multi-billion dollar non-U.S./foreign-owned company.  CN is seeking approval from the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) to acquire EJ&E in order to make even more money by re-routing its huge amount of rail traffic (including thousands of tons of hazardous chemicals and substances) through several Illinois suburban communities, including Wayne.  Unlike the areas in which the CN trains currently operate, our communites do not (and never will) have the resources, infrastructure or tax base to support that level of rail traffic, or to respond in the event of a train wreck, hazardous chemical release, fire or other rail-related disaster.  Act now to stop this senseless and unnecessary destruction of our health, safety, environment and communities from happening.  You really can make a difference.

What You Can Do Right Now

1.  Continue to fax and call your political leaders to thank them for their leadership and for sponsorship of HR 6707 (the "Taking Responsible Action for Community Safety" Act").  Let them know you are supporting their efforts 100% and that you remain ready to do your part in the days ahead.  

Senators                               Telephone                Fax

Dick Durbin                           202-224-2152          202-228-0400

Barack Obama                     202-224-2854          202-228-4260

Evan Bayh (IN)                     202-224-5623          202-228-1377

Richard Lugar (IN)               202-224-4814          202-228-0360

Representatives                 Telephone                Fax

Melissa Bean                        202-225-3711          202-225-7830

Judy Biggert                         202-225-3515          202-225-9420

Bill Foster                              202-225-2976          202-225-0697

Ray LaHood                          202-225-6201          202-225-9249

Don Manzullo                       202-225-5676          202-225-5284

Peter Roskam                       202-225-4561          202-225-1166

Peter Visclosky (IN)             202-225-2461          202-225-2493

Chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

James Oberstar (MN)          202-225-6211

2.     Write to and call your political leaders urging them to do everything in their power to stop CN.  Click here for instructions.  Our political leaders were elected to serve us, but they cannot help us unless we loudly and clearly tell them to do so.

3.     Write to CN and its directors and officers.  Express your outrage over what they are attempting to do.  Encourage them to come to their senses, and realize that CN is already making a lot of money.  CN can increase its revenues and profits without destroying communities.  Click here for instructions {coming soon}.  For its last 3 fiscal years alone, CN averaged nearly $8 billion per year in revenues, and $3 billion per year in operating income.  How much money is enough?  It is an outrage that an already extremely profitable foreign company that doesn't need any more money is trying to force its way into U.S. communities in order to realize even more profits not only at the expense of our health, safety, environment and property values, but also by having us subsidize them by bearing the costs of supporting their operations and infrastructure.  Not only should this not be allowed, our government should enact laws to make such conduct a crime.

4.     Encourage all your friends, neighbors and acquaintances to do the above.  Do it now.  Our Illinois communities are facing this issue today, but other communities throughout the country will face it tomorrow.