State inspectors shut down 3 transload facilities

In todays Record they have an article on the state closing the 94th,83rd and 58th street facilities for lacking fire sprinklers. They were ordered shut down immediately and to be emptied till sprinklers were installed.

When the online article is put up i'll post the link to it.

This leads to so many different tangents I'm surprised this hasn't happened already...

First of all, are any of you old enough to remember when Fred and Barney joined the Bedrock Fire Department... because everything was made of rocks there was nothing to burn...

Anyway, New Jersey continues to be the state of harrassment. Let's see, we lose any court challenges. let's just prevent any competition in waste hauling simply by selective enforcement of every possible statute.

Maybe next week they'll be watching the truck drivers to see if they have their seat belts buckled or are using cell phones while driving, or simply speeding on Tonnelle Avenue... oh wait, that might be a problem with another incident lately...

Ok, rant over...

Well, maybe not quite over... anybody know if the transfer station in Hillsdale is sprinklered? Or any other MSW facility in the area run by any of the traditional garbage haulers?

Yeah, we all know this state sucks, but I heard NYSW will also appeal once again!

Sorry to go off topic, but on a more lighter, positive note I just got word CSX will be running a detour train over the NYSW starting tomorrow...One each way... Don't know how long it will last!

SMP

Not directly dealing with the NYSW, but on the same topic

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articl ... 80405/1004

Democrats rally to keep trash off railroad line

Officials want federal law changed
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 04/28/07

BY BOB JORDAN
FREEHOLD BUREAU

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — Leading local Democrats and Gov. Corzine's environmental commissioner rallied Friday for changes in federal law to allow states to regulate solid waste facilities located along rail lines.

"I can't imagine that many residents would support putting giant mounds of garbage on this land without any oversight or regulation from the state," said Rep. Frank J. Pallone Jr., D-N.J., at a news conference near the rail line where a garbage collection point could — under existing laws — be built without community involvement.

Pallone represents the Sixth Congressional District — which does not include Freehold Township but does cover Red Bank, where a solid waste facility along a rail line was proposed last year. Rep. Christopher H. Smith, R-N.J., whose Fourth Congressional District includes part of Freehold Township, could not be reached for comment.

State Sen. Ellen Karcher, D-Monmouth, said a plan by Ashland Railroad to create a solid waste transfer station on 10 acres of open land on Route 33 near Kozloski Road, could go unchecked if federal law isn't changed.

"The frustration to me is that we can't debate these facilities on their merits," Karcher said. "There is no legitimate access point for the community on these proposals."

Pallone and Karcher were joined by Monmouth County Freeholder Barbara McMorrow and Commissioner Lisa P. Jackson of the state Department of Environmental Protection. The site proposal calls for the facility to be built near a 1.5-mile rail line connecting to another line that runs through much of Monmouth and neighboring counties.

A loophole in federal legislation enables the rail industry to operate such facilities free from various state permitting requirements, Jackson said.

Pallone and other members of Congress from New Jersey recently introduced legislation that would close the loophole. The measure has not advanced.

Under the Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act of 1995, federal regulators have exclusive jurisdiction over transportation by rail and have the ability to grant federal pre-emption over state and local regulators, officials said.

"I assure you this loophole was not the intent of Congress," Pallone said. "There has to be some federal exemptions for railroads, or else railroads could never be built through the different towns. But for a solid waste station? That's not the same thing."

Jackson said the waste at such a site would likely include large amounts of construction debris.

"Construction debris sounds kind of innocent, but with that you have asbestos, lead, pipes, heavy metals," Jackson said. "The runoff from those materials could contain the same things. That's why it has to be made clear in Congress that it's not a transportation issue, it's a health and safety issue."

McMorrow said the county Board of Freeholders has passed a resolution opposing the proposed trash facility.

"It's not good for Monmouth County. It's not good for any county," McMorrow said.

A principal in the Freehold Township proposal is G. David Crane, the owner and operator of Ashland Railroad. Crane's company is involved in the rail shipment of waste in Ohio.

There are currently about 15 loosely regulated solid-waste rail transfer stations in New Jersey, officials said.

I think a balance needs to be struck - the railroads shouldn't be able to come into an area and do whatever they want (the arrogance of the RR industry is UNBELIEVEABLE) - however, the locals shouldn't restrict what the RRs can or cant do.

Putting in sprinklers is a common sense kind of thing - 1) keeps the dust down, 2) keeps fire out. the railroad (any railroad) won't do ANYTHING more than it has to. This is something that SHOULD be done.

If done right and a proper compromise reached, all could benefit - the railroads, the towns the people in the towns, with less trucks on the roads (overall, but an increase in truck traffic to get to the facility) a controlled and SAFE location to transfer the debris (who knows what is in that garbage - im SURE not every contractor/homeowner takes the proper procedure for disposing of asbetos (sp), for example - finally and more importantly - the railroad gets car loadings.

Pissing off the people in town (who also use the businesses of the customers of the railroad as well) is not a good way to drum up business and get new contracts, and also possibly hurts existing contracts and customers with the "bad will" of them being served by the "evil railroad"

The railroads are doing it because they can. Maybe its time to possibly change that a lilttle bit. It will benefit everyone in the end.

Anytime a politician in NJ takes a strong position about anything, it's time to follow the money.

I'll bet a beer that your distinguished representative may have received a check or two from BFI, WMI, or any of the other haulers...

While I'm inclined to agree that the railroad has some obligation to be a good neighbor, it's tough to determine the right position when your "opponent" is grandstanding.

I think a little pecision is called for. This isn't garbage. It's construction and demolition debris.

Its long been suspected by some of the locals that the local politicians in Hudson County NJ(Where these transfer stations are located) are not used to being cut out of any kickbacks in these types of operations. Hudson Co has a long history of corrupt politicians and has a very strong Democratic party machine headed by(surprise!) US Senator Robert Menendez(D) who hails from the Union City area, in the same region as these transfer stations.
Since the railroad has the Federal regulations to back up most but not all aspects of operations, the state, as correctly noted, after losing various court cases, has decided to regulate and harass these places to death. They will put the fire supression systems in, no doubt, but i almost guarantee that the state will find another statute to close the places down again.
If thats gonna be the game they want to play, then i suggest that someone ask the state how the materials are supposed to be moved out of state. Perhaps when they do get these places back in operation, they should line up as many trucks as possible, and move via truck the equivilent of one day's transloadings that would normally go by rail, just so these idiots can see how much more efficient the rails really are. But i seriously doubt this would have any effect, as the state(through local politicians) are absolutely determined to stick it to the railroad. Are they going to also go after the locations where the materials are loaded into the trucks that get the C&D materials to the transfer stations? Probably not, as they are determined to harass the railroad specifically. So much for a level playing field!
The NY & Greenwood Lake, in Garfield, Bergen County operates a transh transfer station for interchange to the NS. I wonder if the state has gone after them as well? Probably not, as its a different group of politicians in Bergen Co(although probably just a bit less corrupt than those in Hudson Co.)
And if anyone has doubts about possible motives here by the local politicos, ask someone who remebers the days of Harrison Mayor Frank Hague in the 40's who pretty much ruled Hudson Co. with his corrupt machine......

The NYGL's facility is in Passaic county in Passaic. And the city themselves went after them when they started to build the transload shed and when it cought fire last year they tried shutting it down again.

does anyone know if they've started making the necessary repairs to be operational again? trains are only running mon/wed/fri wtih very short trains. this time last year trains were every day and very long. kinda sucks not having any good chasing to do.

2005Vdub wrote:does anyone know if they've started making the necessary repairs to be operational again? trains are only running mon/wed/fri wtih very short trains. this time last year trains were every day and very long. kinda sucks not having any good chasing to do.

It doesnt help that some of the traffic (in the NS woodchip cars) is going via NS.

n01jd1 wrote:

2005Vdub wrote:does anyone know if they've started making the necessary repairs to be operational again? trains are only running mon/wed/fri wtih very short trains. this time last year trains were every day and very long. kinda sucks not having any good chasing to do.

It doesnt help that some of the traffic (in the NS woodchip cars) is going via NS.

what do you mean? nysw is loading debris in there facilities for ns to carry it?

NS also carries the C&D from Long Island in the SOU woodchip cars.. It comes from New York & Atlantic, and is floated over to NJ by NYNJ Rail where its taken to Oak Island.