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Northfolk Southern politely tells Alanta to fuck off

ToughBowtieTruck

ToughBowtieTruck

Nothing like owning the same truck twice.
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https://www.railwayage.com/news/ns-calls-off-atlanta-rail-transfer-project/
Norfolk Southern (NS) has walked away from building a rail transfer facility in Atlanta, Ga., following community opposition and potential litigation.

It was to be located on the site of the former Chattahoochee Brick Co., which is said to have relied on convict lease labor to produce millions of bricks between the late 1870s and early 1900s.

The Class I railroad’s decision follows the city of Atlanta’s filing Feb. 12 of a petition for preliminary injunction with the Surface Transportation Board (Docket Number: FD 36485; Filing ID: 301626). The filing states: “Despite the historical importance of Chattahoochee Brick, the floodplain, and the environmental conditions on the site, NS and [property owner] Lincoln Terminal have commenced construction of a transload facility on the site without regard to the myriad local health and safety laws and regulations and federal floodplain requirements that apply at this site. Continued physical destruction at the site, which recent research confirms includes a burial site for workers who died while working at the plant in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, risks the total loss of a heritage site with substantial historical significance and violates City and State laws which are a legitimate and uniformly applied exercise of state and local police powers. The Board should grant the injunction requested here to prevent irreparable harm to the City of Atlanta.”

NS said that it “believes the city’s action lacks legal merit,” but it “listened to the community and has no interest in protracted litigation if the city opposes the project.” The railroad will now complete the necessary work “to stabilize and secure the site and then withdraw.”

NS explained in a Feb. 18 press release that throughout 2020, it worked closely with local elected officials, held multiple meetings to listen to the concerns of community stakeholders, and incorporated feedback into plans for the site. Additionally, it “offered to work with community representatives to design and build a memorial, at the company’s expense, to ensure the history of the site is never forgotten. The company also expressed support—and conducted site tours with stakeholders—for creating public-access trails on the site along the Chattahoochee River and Proctor Creek, as many environmental and community groups advocated.”

The railroad also said it complied with “rigorous environmental standards for site redevelopment,” and worked with “the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, through the voluntary Georgia Brownfields Program, to perform extensive environmental remediation of the property.”

Outside experts engaged by NS performed an archaeological and historical survey and archaeological excavation in certain areas, but did not find evidence of a cemetery, according to the railroad. But as development continued, “given the site’s tragic legacy, the company committed to exercise great care,” NS said.

“We accepted from the beginning that we had a special responsibility to develop this site in a socially and environmentally responsible way, given the atrocities that once took place there,” NS Chairman, President and CEO James A. Squires said. “We believe our project presented an opportunity to create a long-overdue memorial to the painful legacy of the site, and at the same time reshape its future by building new river trails and putting the long-abandoned land back into productive use in a way that benefits the regional economy.”

He continued: “We pride ourselves on being a good corporate citizen in the communities where we operate. In this case, that means walking away from the project despite our very best efforts to work with the community on the responsible development of the site.”
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CDA 455 II said:
Cliff's please?
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NS was going to build a railyard in Atlanta. Locals litigated for environmental and 'social' concerns (fund study groups and their friends etc), NS is now pulling out, they say b/c they can't satisfy the locals even though they tried.

NS won't pay their bribe for more Woke education and Trans-Gender Marx-viro Naturalist Local Organic Inspectors to make sure they are putting the right sand where.
 
hell, with VA Northam making coal illegal, i wonder if Norfolk Southern is going to pull out of Norfolk as well :shaking:
 
Sadly it's nothing new anymore. The cities and citizens more so seem to think they can hold corps hostage. Here's a great example, I live in a city of 100K and it was built on forestry, logging, sawmills, pulpmills, plywood you name it and we did it, hell we even had a plant that produced a good part of that shitty IKEA knotty pine.

Back in the late '90's early 00's they began to shut down for a number of reasons.

While that was happening there were other players in the industry that wanted to fill the gaps, MDF plant, another plywood to replace the one that burned down, pellet plants etc. The city wanted them, needed them but wouldn't bend and offer any incentives. To top that off there were several special interest groups comprised by doctors, lawyers, housewives and tree huggers that put up a fight.

Every single corp that wanted to set up here and provide some really good jobs said fuck you if you don't want us we are gone. A much much smaller town 100 miles south said we would love to have you and that's where they went.

Fast forward to today and there's a plastics plant trying to come here and it's the same shit all over again. I've been called numerous times to come and sit on advisory panels and focus groups yet again by the chamber of commerce and I've declined. I busted my ass 20 years ago to try to get these industries here but no more, I am 20 years older and my patience is way too thin to deal with the Karens when it would just be easier to crack their skulls.

PS. That small town down south is already saying come here we love you long time and the corp is pretty close to telling us to fuck off.
 
Lawless said:
Sadly it's nothing new anymore. The cities and citizens more so seem to think they can hold corps hostage. Here's a great example, I live in a city of 100K and it was built on forestry, logging, sawmills, pulpmills, plywood you name it and we did it, hell we even had a plant that produced a good part of that shitty IKEA knotty pine.

Back in the late '90's early 00's they began to shut down for a number of reasons.

While that was happening there were other players in the industry that wanted to fill the gaps, MDF plant, another plywood to replace the one that burned down, pellet plants etc. The city wanted them, needed them but wouldn't bend and offer any incentives. To top that off there were several special interest groups comprised by doctors, lawyers, housewives and tree huggers that put up a fight.

Every single corp that wanted to set up here and provide some really good jobs said fuck you if you don't want us we are gone. A much much smaller town 100 miles south said we would love to have you and that's where they went.

Fast forward to today and there's a plastics plant trying to come here and it's the same shit all over again. I've been called numerous times to come and sit on advisory panels and focus groups yet again by the chamber of commerce and I've declined. I busted my ass 20 years ago to try to get these industries here but no more, I am 20 years older and my patience is way too thin to deal with the Karens when it would just be easier to crack their skulls.

PS. That small town down south is already saying come here we love you long time and the corp is pretty close to telling us to fuck off.
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Join the Chamber and suggest the plastic company head down the road where everyone else went last time this place tried to say they wanted to create jobs.
 
Good. Atlanta can fuck right off. Not to argue on behalf of big box stores, but Wal Mart was going to open 2 or 3 stores inside D.C. The city council went full, FULL retard on what they could and couldn't do and what they HAD to do. The residents wanted the jobs and access to good, but in the end WM told the city to fuck off and built the stores not too far outside the city line in MD. The city lost the jobs and taxes and the residents there still don't have easy access to goods. Solid work there city council. Of course they DGAF, they're almost as bad as Chicago in D.C.
 
Projectjunkie said:
Gone Galt
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Pretty much.

If it is truly a heritage site, its a heritage site and the city should support its conversion to a park with their own resources or sensitive redevelopment like these guys were offering.

If they were just looking for a payday then they can figure out what to do with that potential super fund site!
 
Tucson chased IBM out many years ago failing to further extort them.
GCU wanted to build a campus in Tucson a few years ago. Thousands of jobs, hundreds permanent, tax revenue, etc. Tucson said hell no.
It's total BS the city and county administrators cannot be sued for damages by the peasants.
If a big time dem wants to start a business however they will build his building for him and give them tax breaks up the ass. They'll use an emergency order so they can give the building contract to their friends and not have to put it up for bid as well.
These are just a few of the many reasons we are trying to get the hell out of here..
 
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