Union Pacific/Southern Pacific Merger
Surface Transportation Board
Union Pacific Railroad

Challenge: Assist the STB in directing the license applicant (Union Pacific/Southern Pacific) in conducting an environmental assessment for one of the largest railroad mergers in U.S. history with the potential to affect railway operations and communities in 25 U.S. States, Canada, and Mexico.

Role: Perform an assessment of communities that would be affected by railroad operations, identify sensitive issues, and conduct media monitoring and public outreach to identify issues of primary concern. Assist in reviewing and tracking public comments and convey community issues to the applicant with recommendations and mitigations to address specific needs.

Result: CirclePoint helped to move the merger application forward by focusing technical work and agency actions on sensitive issues and also gave the STB confidence that environmental conditions and community issues were being identified and addressed by the applicant. The merger was approved.

Illinois Central, Baton Rouge Line Extension
Illinois Central Railroad Company

Challenge: Assess the environmental impacts of a proposed project to construct and operate a 3.2-mile rail line in East Baton Rouge, Louisiana through sensitive areas including a historic industrial property, a U.S. Highway, and several ravines and creeks in order to serve a polyolefins (plastics) plant owned and operated by the Exxon Mobil Chemical Company.

Role: Prepare an environmental assessment addressing noise, biological resources, traffic safety associated with at-grade railroad crossings, soil contamination, and the transportation of hazardous materials. Manage interagency coordination and public involvement activities.

Result: Accurate summarization of impacts in the environmental assessment resulted in the document being accepted as submitted, which allowed the project to proceed on schedule.

Tongue River Railroad Project
Surface Transportation Board
Tongue River Railroad Corporation

Challenge: Conduct environmental review for a proposal to construct 130 miles of new rail line in southeastern Montana to provide access to new coal mines in southern Montana and transportation to power plants in the midwestern United States.

Role: As the lead contractor to the STB, prepare a supplemental environmental impact statement addressing potential environmental issues, including impacts to endangered species, the Tongue River Dam, Native American cultural sites, private property, ranching operations, and state recreation. Manage tribal coordination and public involvement and work closely with state and federal agencies.

Result: CirclePoint's facilitation of the cooperating agency review, public involvement, and programmatic agreement process generated the consensus and information required for the project to move forward through the environmental process.