KARE-11 reports on Transportation Secretary Peters' midwest tour. Seems like before she enjoyed Norm Coleman's hospitality in Rochester, she dropped in on Senator Thune in South Dakota:
Transportation Secretary Mary Peters was in Rochester on Monday to hear about local concerns over the proposed expansion of the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad.
The Mayo Clinic and the city of Rochester oppose the $6 billion project, arguing the increased rail traffic could threaten the safety of the clinic's patients.
Peters came at the invitation of Senator Norm Coleman.
She met with the Rochester Coalition, a group that's fighting the railroad. The group fears the impact on the community and the Mayo Clinic of the increase in coal train traffic that would result from the DM&E's expansion.
Coleman, Governor Tim Pawlenty and congressman-elect Tim Walz also attended the meeting in a Mayo conference room that overlooked the train tracks, giving the secretary a first hand look at just how close the tracks are to a critical medical institution.
The DM&E is seeking federal funding to expand its network so it can carry more coal from Wyoming and other freight across South Dakota and southern Minnesota.
Before arriving in Minnesota Peters was in Sioux Falls for a meeting with a former lobbyist for the railroad, U.S. Sen. John Thune. . . .
The Rochester Post Bulletin's Jeff Pieters has more:
Finally, here is something that Rochester and the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad can agree on.
Both hope the nation's top appointed transportation official can bring an end to their nine-year-old fight over the DM&E's proposed expansion project.
Both parties received a visit on Monday from U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters, who conducted a "listen and learn" tour in order to acquaint herself with the concerns and needs of both sides. DM&E is seeking a $2.3 billion loan from the Federal Railroad Administration to finance a rail upgrade that Rochester opposes, citing safety concerns.
Peters met for about 90 minutes on Monday morning in Sioux Falls with U.S. Sen. John Thune, South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds, DM&E President and CEO Kevin Schieffer, and a host of others representing agriculture, energy providers and consumers.
That was followed by an hour-long afternoon meeting at Rochester's Charter House, a retirement high-rise one block from the DM&E tracks.
In Rochester, Peters met with U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Rep.-elect Tim Walz, and a host of Mayo Clinic and Rochester-area government officials.
She left quickly after that meeting, giving a brief statement to members of the press that gave no insight as to her next steps. . . .
In his Government Center blog, Pieters catches up with Walz at a Minnesota Association of Counties convention before Peters' progress hits Rochester. As is usually the case with Pieters, document-rich blogging that warms our monitor on this cold prairie night.
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