Thread: Arizona farmers concerned over rail line from Mexico

http://sun.yumasun.com/google/ysarchive22883.html


Possible rail line concerns farmers
BY JEFFREY GAUTREAUX, SUN STAFF WRITER
Published on: August 23, 2006

Plans to build a large shipping port at Punta Colonet, Baja Calif. — about 130 miles south of Tijuana — could mean that a new rail line would run through Yuma to quickly move cargo from the port to the interior of the United States.

There have been discussions with landowners in the area about property acquisition, but the details, and whether the line will actually be built, remain up in the air.

The line would be used to send containers by rail from the Pacific Coast through Mexico and then north to Yuma to tie into the current Union Pacific tracks that run through the city. A right-of-way agent has been speaking to government and private industry in Yuma about the proposed line — to the dismay of some in the agriculture industry.

The agent declined to comment for the story, directing questions to Chris Peterson, the Union Pacific director of government affairs.

Peterson said the railroad has conducted preliminary studies, but the project remains very uncertain and therefore he did not have any specifics to offer. "The preliminary study included fact-finding discussions with public and private interests in Arizona," he said.

Bruce Easterday, owner of Easterday Farms, said the agent spoke with him a month ago. He said the proposed route related to him would cross the border at County 14th Street heading east, traveling on the south side of Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. It would then head north along Avenue 3E, 3-1/2E or 4E to connect with current Union Pacific tracks near Interstate 8.

Easterday said the agent remained vague about the exact route.

Laying down the track would divide 220 acres that Easterday Farms owns at County 13th and Avenue 3-1/2E. "For farming, it’s just not a good thing," Easterday said. "Most farmers are against it."

Easterday said the agent has been approaching landowners about purchasing ground for right-of-ways through a two-year option — which, if accepted, would reserve the land for two years at a fixed price.

Easterday hasn’t signed anything and doesn’t know of anyone who has. He said the agent alluded to the fact that Union Pacific had the authority to use eminent domain to acquire land for right-of-way.

"Quite frankly, that irritated me a little bit," he said.

Peterson declined to comment on the use of eminent domain.

Union Pacific officials have spoken to the city and to MCAS Yuma about the possible line. City spokesman James Stover directed inquiries to Peterson.

Capt. Beatriz Yarrish, MCAS spokeswoman, said the base was initially approached by Union Pacific in December 2005 and the company proposed a segment of track as part of the larger project that would cut across air station property. "We are currently looking at how it will impact the station. Once our assessment has been completed, we will provide Union Pacific with a response to their proposal," Yarrish said in a statement.

Easterday said the agent told him that the Marines were not in favor of bringing the line through the Barry M. Goldwater Range, forcing it to come through farmland and developed areas. Peterson declined to comment on the military’s position.

Yuma County Administrator David Garcia said the only meeting he had attended where the rail line was discussed was about three weeks ago with the Greater Yuma Port Authority. Board of Supervisors chairwoman Casey Prochaska was also at the meeting.

Prochaska said no one from the railroad has approached the board to talk about the issue. She hopes to attend meetings of local landowners about it and also contact the railroad because she is not sure how far along the railroad was in its plans.

"I think this needs to be discussed openly as a community," she said.

There have been rumors in the city and beyond about the line. Don Pope, general manager of the Yuma County Water Users Association, said the topic was discussed at a recent board meeting because of fears it would harm agriculture in Yuma Valley.

"I know there’s concern about it," he said.

Mark Spencer, owner of Associated Citrus Packers Inc., said the railroad would make it difficult to navigate the mesa to harvest produce. The company’s shop is located on East County 14th Street. Also, he said it would run right behind his home.

"I don’t think it will work at all. It will ruin the mesa and the valley, too," he said.

Peterson said anyone with concerns about the impacts of a rail line would have plenty of opportunities to make them known. He said whenever new tracks are built there is an extensive public process required to receive federal approval.

"There certainly would be opportunities for public comment during that process," he said.

The new port in Mexico and recent expansions to the Ensenada port, which is 60 miles south of Tijuana, are a response to congestion involved in getting shipments in and out of the extremely busy American ports in southern California. An interview request made to Hutchison Port Holdings, which operates Ensenada and has discussed developing Punta Colonet, was not returned.

Generally, Ensenada receives shipments from Asia, often carrying electronics and other products destined for manufacturing operations in Mexico or for transport to the U.S.

Spencer, who has spoken to many farmers who have been approached, said the Union Pacific agent has been saying the goal is to avoid the rail bridge next to the Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge because it is only a single track and can’t be increased in size. Union Pacific has been working on an ongoing project to double-track in this area. Peterson declined to comment on why the route would run into Arizona rather than north to California.

Peterson said there has been a lot of speculation about the Mexican companies that might be interested or what the line might carry, but again he declined to discuss specifics. He said there was also uncertainty as to who might build the line in Mexico.

"It’s very difficult to talk about the specifics of the project. There are a number of unanswered questions, even for Union Pacific," he said.

Jim Chessum, administrator of the Greater Yuma Port Authority, said he was aware of the concept, but did not know any specifics.

Union Pacific has been working on preliminary studies for several months, but the idea itself is relatively new. Peterson said there is a high demand for freight rail service and Union Pacific is hiring across its entire system.

The company has about 1200 employees in Arizona, with about 100 in Yuma. Peterson said the creation of the line would mean more jobs in this area, but it is far too early to even consider a timeline.

"There’s a considerable amount of uncertainty that really leaves the door open as to whether a project like this would ever happen," he said

Building the North American Union, quietly, one step at a time.