DAVENPORT, Iowa — Federal authorities are extending the public comment period for the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern railway merger for another month, according to the Surface Transportation Board's website.
The federal transportation regulator's Office of Environmental Analysis (OEA) has prepared a draft of its Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) regarding the pending merger and is extending the public comment alongside the release.
Members of the public will have until Friday, Oct. 14 to submit input by mail or electronic form. The deadline previously fell on Monday, Sept. 26.
The public commenting period is just one way that citizens can respond to the merger deal, alongside a series of public meetings being held across the country. For the Quad City area, a meeting will be held at the River Center in Davenport at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 13.
Additionally, the OEA will be hosting one more virtual public meeting on Monday, Sept. 19.
According to the EIS statement, if the merger is approved, the two companies will merge into one rail system, called Canadian Pacific Kansas City. The combined CPKC network would include about 20,350 miles of railroad tracks across 8,600 miles of the United States, Canada and Mexico. Rail traffic is expected to significantly increase along company-owned railways if the merger is completed.
The EIS statement contains an analysis of the merger's effects on the environment and public safety and comfort, among assessments of other potential risks and regulatory proposals.
Summaries, the table of contents and the full text of the Draft EIS statement are available here.
You can sign up for the virtual meeting or submit your comments here.
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