H. R. 2 --"Urging the Interstate Commerce Commission to disallow the abandonment by CSX Corporation of the rail line between Tygart Junction and Bergoo, West Virginia."
Whereas, CSX Corporation proposes to abandon one hundred twenty-two miles of rail line in West Virginia running from Tygart Junction, Barbour County, through Randolph and Pocahontas Counties, to Bergoo in Webster County; and
Whereas, The rail line provides access to some of the most substantial timber reserves and richest coal reserves in West Virginia, and serves as the only access for trout stocking by the state Division of Natural Resources on sections of the Shavers Fork and Slaty Fork streams and the only rail access to the Cass Scenic Railroad, a major tourist attraction for the State of West Virginia; and
Whereas, No waterways or interstate highways are proximate to the area providing alternative modes of transportation for the counties along this line, which suffer unemployment rates well above the national average and whose workers are heavily dependent on the natural resource industries served by the rail line, or for the many local businesses which may no longer rely on this rail line to transport goods; and
Whereas, Numerous members of the local community and several state agencies have filed official protests with the Interstate Commerce Commission against the abandonment of this line because the abandonment will thwart opportunity for future economic development and opportunity for recreational development based on the rail service, and the local economies of the area, as well as the economy of the entire State of West Virginia, will be substantially and negatively impacted if this abandonment occurs; therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Delegates:
That the Interstate Commerce Commission is urged to disallow the abandonment by CSX Corporation of the rail line running from Tygart Junction to Bergoo, West Virginia; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates is hereby directed to forward a copy of this resolution to members of West Virginia's congressional delegation, to CSX Corporation and to Sidney L. Strickland, Jr., Secretary of the Interstate Commerce Commission.