The Federal Railroad Administration's draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for All Aboard Florida (AAF), released Friday, is either "a complete whitewash" or "a vindication of a well-planned intercity passenger railroad system."
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder on this one," said Seth Rickman, an Orange County engineer whose parents live in Coral Gables. He said he "got a jump on most people," read enough of the EIS to see it's "generally kinder to AAF than it is to opponents."
"But that's what you would expect from the Railroad Administration," said Rickman. He claims he's "like everybody who doesn't live in the middle of it, just trying to find out if it's bad or good for Florida."
Congressman Patrick Murphy, representing much of the Treasure Coast, circulated the draft to dozens of stakeholders, promising to "carefully review the report in the coming days."
Many of the stakeholders, however, when reached Friday night, hadn't had enough time to study the report and weren't prepared to comment.
But representatives for All Aboard Florida were the first to issue a statement, expressing their initial delight:
"After reviewing the Federal Railroad Administration's executive summary of the draft environmental impact statement, we find the report is consistent with what we have been saying about the project, both in terms of benefits and impacts," the statement reads.
"The report shows there would be improvements to public safety, air quality and noise associated with the implementation of All Aboard Florida. We look forward to reviewing the rest of the document."
Meanwhile, Citizens Against Rail Expansion FL (CARE FL)--a Stuart-based organization that opposes AAF for its risks to public safety and its threat to destroy the quality of life for communities in AAF's path -- issued its own statement Friday:
The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is only being conducted because All Aboard Florida (AAF) wants a federal loan in the amount of $1.6 billion to $1.8 billion to subsidize its private project, all at the expense and financial pain of federal taxpayers. We will be reading the EIS with this in mind, and we encourage other interested parties to do the same."
The CARE FL statement concluded, In addition to the economic red flags inherent in the project, the EIS provides an opportunity for CARE FL and other concerned citizens to comment on the profound safety and environmental issues AAF poses, along with its lack of any discernible benefit to our local communities.
Sharon Blalock of Port St. Lucie told Sunshine State News, "We've only just begun to fight. We won't make it easy for them (AAF). We have nearly 30,000 names on a petition, we have lawyers, we have our own strategy."
She said, "The FRA exists to enable railroads, that's its main purpose ... and President Obama wants passenger rail. I don't have to study the report to know it's nothing but a whitewash. You didn't really expect an objective environmental report, did you?"
Ron Rose, executive director of the Jensen Beach Chamber of Commerce and an Independent candidate for the Martin County Commission District 2 seat, said, "Unlike the current Martin County Commission majority, I believe it's never too late to make our voices heard on the issue of All About Florida.
"I will remain opposed to the plan unless All Aboard Florida can demonstrate to me and all of my neighbors that it does not negatively affect our unique quality of life in Martin County. The burden is on All Aboard Florida to prove there will be no negative impacts. I urge all Martin County and Treasure Coast residents to review the EIS and participate in the democratic process by providing input during the public comment period and attending public forums. ..."
Kasey Traylor, the force behind Florida Not All Aboard, one of the first and perhaps the largest groups to oppose AAF, was not available Friday night.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), created in 1966 and an arm of the Department of Transportation, states as its mission, "to enable the safe, reliable, and efficient movement of people and goods for a strong America, now and in the future."
With the draft EIS available, FRA has opened a 75-day public comment period. Comments can be submitted via email (AAF_comments@vhb.com) or by mail to John Winkle, Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, Room W38-311, Washington, D.C. 3059.
All comments must be submitted by December 3, 2014.
The FRA also announced four local public meetings to discuss the EIS, one each in West Palm Beach, Stuart, Vero Beach, and Port St. Lucie:
- West Palm Beach - Oct. 28, 3:30 - 7 p.m. at theWest Palm Beach Marriott, 1001 Okeechobee Blvd.
- Stuart - Oct. 29, 3:30 - 7 p.m. at the Kane Center, 900 SE Salerno Road.
- Vero Beach - Nov. 5, 3:30 - 7 p.m. atIndian River State College, Richardson Hall, 6155 College Lane.
- Port St. Lucie - Nov. 6, 3:30 - 7 p.m. at thePort St. Lucie Civic Center, 9221 SE Civic Center Place.
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423. Twitter: @NancyLBSmith
