Railroad Biological Assessment

Burns & McDonnell is serving as third-party contractor for the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for 280 miles of new rail construction. This construction would extend the client's existing rail system to coal mines in eastern Wyoming. The project is intended to provide additional rail service for coal mines to serve the increasing demand for the region's low-sulfur coal. In addition, the project includes approximately 20 miles of new rail construction in Minnesota.

• Environmental Impact Statement
• Agency coordination
• Agency and public scoping
• Alternative analysis
• Cultural resource surveys
• Wetland surveys
• Socioeconomic analysis
• Noise analysis
• Air quality analysis
• Traffic safety analysis
• Programmatic agreement for cultural resources

Burns & McDonnell is providing support for all aspects of the EIS, ranging from coordinating with agencies and scheduling meetings to writing the EIS and associated filing for the Federal Register.

Burns & McDonnell prepared an extensive biological assessment, which required coordination with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service offices in Wyoming, South Dakota and Minnesota. Because of the potential to affect threatened and endangered species on federal lands, particularly national grasslands in Wyoming and South Dakota, close coordination with the U.S. Forest Service was required.

The potential project's impacts to 20 species across these three states were analyzed. These included three mammals, five birds, three fish, two insects, two mussels and five plants. The black-footed ferret, bald eagle, Topeka shiner and Ute ladies'-tresses orchid were determined to be adversely affected by the project.

Coordination between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the railroad resulted in the development of acceptable mitigation to protect these species during project construction and operation.