State rep urges full environmental review of Burnet County rail project
Construction of a proposed 26.9-mile rail line in Burnet and Lampasas counties is under review by the federal Surface Transportation Board. The project is receiving opposition from state Rep. Ellen Troxclair, who requested a full environmental review before any approval is given. Texas Materials Group Inc. image
Texas House District 19 Rep. Ellen Troxclair is calling for the “highest-possible level of environmental review” for a proposed 26.9-mile railway line in Burnet County that has sparked opposition from residents.
In a letter submitted Monday, March 24, to the federal Surface Transportation Board, Troxclair, who represents Burnet County, urged officials to fully examine the line’s possible environmental consequences on the area. Aggregate company Texas Materials Group Inc. wants the railway to haul construction materials, such as crushed rock and gravel, from four quarries in Burnet County.
“There are too many possible environmental impacts to list in particular, and we therefore request the highest-possible level of environmental review your office may provide,” Troxclair wrote. “The further context of long-term drought, population explosion, wildfire risk, and impacts of noise or other types of pollution on people and animals in the area further elevate the concerns.”
The line would reconstruct 12.5 miles of previously abandoned railroad and add 14.4 miles of new track, connecting with the BNSF Railway near Lampasas and the Austin Western Railroad near Burnet. If approved, it would carry approximately 1.64 trains a day, each train stretching up to 120 railcars.
The project is currently being reviewed by the STB’s Office of Environmental Analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act and National Historic Preservation Act. Federal, state, and local agencies, as well as tribal nations and school districts, have until April 3 to submit comments on the scope of that review.
Troxclair’s letter also requests the public comment period be extended “to the fullest permissible length,” that a public hearing be held, and that the STB participate in any forthcoming site visit.
“My understanding is that the environmental review … may result in your office’s legally delimited recommendation to proceed with such projects,” she wrote. “I therefore ask that you recommend … the longest possible environmental review, any possible mitigation conceivable, and that every constituent requested accommodation, that may reasonably exist, be granted.”
Local resistance to the railway project has intensified in recent weeks. A public petition launched by Burnet County resident Stephanie Ahr has garnered more than 1,500 signatures, with people citing concerns about property rights, safety, noise, pollution, and declining home values.
A Facebook discussion group dedicated to the “quarry train” has also grown to more than 860 members.
To submit comments or learn more about the proposed project, visit the Surface Transportation Board’s website and reference Docket No. FD-36815. Contact Rep. Troxclair’s office at 512-463-0490 or online.