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According to calculations by a Boston area expert, if Dakota, Minnesota, and Eastern Railroad's new coal rail line is built, it would lead to dramatic and negative environmental impacts. DM&E's line would haul about ten percent of the total coal used in the United States and would allow the construction of one hundred new coal-fired power plants. This would contribute a full one percent of worldwide carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon dioxide emissions are the primary cause of globalwarming.

"By stopping this one rail line, we can stop one hundred coal plants," said Lilias Jones Jarding of the Alliance for Responsible Development. "This is really mind-boggling, when you think about all the cars, power plants, factories, and other things contributing to global warming on the whole planet. Just this one rail line would contribue one percent of what everyone everywhere is contributing now." The Alliance for Responsible Development is a three-state coalition of groups that oppose DM&E's proposed new rail line.

The rather simple calculations were done by Bruce Biewald of Synapse Energy Economics. He assumed that the coal hauled by DM&E would have average heat content and average carbon dioxide content, and would be used in 300-Megawatt power plants, the current average U.S. size.

"With water levels rising and weather patterns already changing, we owe it to our children and grandchildren to oppose DM&E's plan to increase the speed of global warming," according to Jones Jarding. "The costs of DM&E's plan are too high. We need to build renewable energy alternatives now, while the energy crisis is limited to one area of the country, instead of waiting until it impacts everyone."

Lilias Jones Jarding can be contacted by phone: 605-534-3144