The Federal Railroad Administration said Monday that it denied a $2.3 billion loan request by the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad Co., which has tried for some 10 years to finance a third rail line into Wyoming’s prolific Powder River Basin coal mining district.
This is NOT good for the development of South Dakota’s economy and its infrastructure. Score points for the luddites amongst us. The Chief has to hope that the DM & E can figure out another way to leverage the project.
Daschle: DM&E made ‘strategic mistakes’
Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle said today he thinks the Dakota Minnesota & Eastern Railroad made strategic mistakes and could have worked better with communities in the region. “I think the DM&E may have made some strategic mistakes with regard to their planning and their approach,” Daschle said, “but they have indicated that perhaps there are other ways to come back with another business plan and I’m sure they’ll attempt to do that.”
It’s worth noting that Daschle was appointed to the Board of Minnesota’s Mayo Clinic who vociferously opposed the project as an undue trespass on their private fiefdom in Rochester. He also was involved with their hiring former SD Governator and Congresscritter Janklow into their fold.
Thi$, after both Daschle and Janklow unre$ervedly $upported the D M & E project when they were in office in $outh Dakota. Well, now they are not in $outh Dakota office, and $o much for any $ense of re$idual loyalty to the voter$ of $outh Dakota who elected them repeatedly over the year$. I $uppo$e that no one $hould reali$tically expect anything el$e from the$e paragon$ of public $ervice – they are member$ of the legalocratic mercenary cla$$ after all, and demon$trably have $hifted their loyalty to the $ervice of other$ who were willing to pay for the be$t lawyer$ (and connection$) that their money could buy.
Asked what mistakes he was referring to, Daschle said “not working as effectively with local communities as they probably should have.”
How could they have “worked more effectively with local communities”? Presumably by hiring Daschle and Janklow to work for them.