We live in the mountains where much of the ground is covered by forest and fields. Many of us do not know what a real traffic problem looks like. Most of our streams run clear as fishermen search for that one that got away. Hunters come from afar to walk in our beautiful forest, breathe the pure mountain air and hunt for that legendary deer or bear. If we want a taste of the big city we drive a few hours and join the rat race for a while and then return home to our quiet splendor. Yes, we have it good here in West Virginia, of course every place has it’s issues. Our home town politics can get a little messy sometimes. Because of our quiet backwoods demeanor, some outsiders think that we are subject to being hoodwinked into schemes designed to make someone wealthy, and usually it is not one of us.
Many of you have heard of the potential purchase of the rail system which supports our Potomac Eagle scenic tour train. This train is one of the last few train rides that does not pass through any human developed land. That section of rail rides through what is called the trough which is one of the favorite waterways in West Virginia. That section of river has survived the Moorefield chicken plant and other potential polluters. Now we have a new kid that wants to be on the block.
Lets be honest, Omnitrax, the company that wants to lease it carries a little baggage with some of its earlier endeavors, but they promise to secure our Potomac Eagle and help keep the valley clean and beautiful.
Here is what they probably will do if this transaction takes place. Their first goal is to increase train traffic on the railway. One way to do this is to help new businesses come to the valley. These could be in the form of warehouses, factories and storage facilities. The way Omnitrax makes money is to increase rail use. Each car, depending on weight, will be assessed a fee to Omnitrax. This all sounds fine and we all know we need some form of industry to come to the county.
With the increased heavy train traffic there could be problems of proper maintenance to the track which has been a problem on other tracks Omnitrax owns. In other places, Omnitrax has used its rail to park old and unused train cars for which it collects rent. These old train cars have the potential of leaking chemicals into our water supply. Industry alongside a river must be strictly controlled to avoid misuse of the river, which is much of our water supply. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, which would be the ones monitoring Omnitrax, is severely understaffed and underfunded and would have a hard time keeping up with Omnitrax.
West Virginia, we are under attack. With our need and desire to maintain our way of life, I do not believe we are prepared for the onslaught of developers and lawyers who will make their way to Hampshire county to take from us in the way every other industry has in the past. First they harvested our trees, then they stripped our land for the coal and now they are fracking down in the earth creating problems we are yet to understand. Now they are coming for our land to develop in ways we cannot even know at this point. Maybe Omnitrax is a good company, maybe they will bring good, clean industry to the area. If the latter is true then they need to be transparent and let us decide or negotiate the terms at which they come to our home! It is up to us, the people of West Virginia to keep a vigilant watch on greedy people. We the people are the last defense against the corporate world which will do anything to reach their goals, and money and power are their ultimate goal!
If you want to voice your concerns, please contact you representatives in the legislature as soon as possible!
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