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Energy, Powder River Basin, and the DM&E

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Ed, Michael, and John,Apparently there is a misperception of something I said that has been taken the wrong way.  It happens sometimes, as I assume people know what I am thinking when I type a statement.  Let me make this as clear a possible, and then ya'll can hash away at it to your hearts' content:<ul><li>DM&E came up with this idea of building a line into the PRB, and as part of the project decided the entire core line needed to be upgraded, all to the tune of $6 billion.</li><li>As part of that $6 billion, DM&E applied for an FRA loan of around $2 billion give or take, with the other $4 billion coming from private investment.</li><li>Certain NIMBY's killed the loan by complaining about coal trains passing too close to the Mayo Clinic.</li></ul>So, in hindsight, perhaps DM&E would have been better served, indeed may still have a chance at......<ul><li>Separating the core line upgrade from the PRB extension, say $4 billion for the core line upgrade and $2 billion for the PRB extension,</li><li>Applying for the $2 billion loan as designated for the $4 billion core line upgrade,</li><li>Then allowing for complete private funding of the $2 billion PRB extension.</li></ul>Now, can anyone surmise what the reaction of Mayo would have been had DM&E simply designated that $2 billion loan as part of the core line upgrade, with no mention of any PRB extension in the loan application?  Hey, if it's only going to be grain trains and ethanol passing by La Clinique, what complaints would they have had?  It just seems to me that the Mayo objections were competely predicated on those awfull coal trains passing by. I have a gut feeling that the FRA would have had no problem approving a $2 billion loan for a DM&E core line upgrade.  Cedar American could have even made the PRB project a separate railroad entity, something it seems DM&E tried to do in the late stages without success.Questions?  Comments?
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