ROCHESTER, Minn., March 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Mayo Clinic asked federal regulators today to require specific improvements to the Safety Integration Plan that is supposed to protect communities affected by
Canadian Pacific Railway's acquisition of the Dakota Minnesota & Eastern (DM&E) Railroad. In comments filed with the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) on behalf of the Rochester Coalition, Mayo Clinic also today proposed specific mitigation measures that could ease local safety concerns.

The STB currently is reviewing the Canadian Pacific's bid to take over DM&E, which has among the worst safety records in the railroad industry and presently operates on substandard tracks. If approved, the
acquisition will cause a dramatic increase in traffic, including hazardous materials shipments on DM&E tracks, and may, according to the agreement between the railroads, result in sending more than 43 high-speed, coal-unit-trains through Rochester and within a few 100 feet of Mayo Clinic every day.

  Flaws in the current proposed safety plan include:

  --  Fails to require a timetable for rehabilitating faulty tracks.
  --  Neglects to make track improvements a condition for allowing increased hazardous materials shipments.
  --  Ignores conflicting statements from DM&E about the amounts of ethanol, anhydrous ammonia and other hazardous materials expected to be transported through Rochester.
  --  Fails to prioritize track maintenance or require specific emergency plans for responding to derailments in densely populated areas such as Rochester, which represents 40 percent of the total population located
along the DM&E rail line.
  --  Overlooks the need for a specific emergency plan that in the event of a hazardous material derailment accounts for Mayo Clinic's 1,000 daily inpatients, 200 ICU beds, 200 daily surgeries and 30,000 doctors,
nurses and staff.
  --  Fails to address the involvement of DM&E management in the operation of the merged railroad, providing no assurances for when or if DM&E
will be required to meet Canadian Pacific's minimum safety standards.
 

"It needs to be abundantly clear that the DM&E will be a safer railroad as a result of this merger," said Glenn Forbes, M.D., CEO of Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

An incident involving a release of hazardous materials such as anhydrous ammonia near Mayo Clinic in Rochester would put at risk many thousands of people, including patients in critical health situations and the more than 30,000 physicians and staff who would not leave their sides.

"Accidents happen, even to safe railroads," added Forbes. "We can't leave the safety of our patients and staff to chance, which is why we remain adamant that everything within reason be done to ensure their
safety."

As currently proposed, the Canadian Pacific says it will provide approximately $128 million in capital safety improvements to DM&E over the next three years, in addition to DM&E's prior commitments of approximately $172 million. However, these funds fall well short of  DM&E's previously stated needs, which were estimated at $875 million 10 years ago.

DM&E president Kevin Schieffer recently was asked while under oath during a deposition to confirm his compensation as a comparison to the amount the Canadian Pacific is contributing to safety  mprovements. He did not answer. Mr. Schieffer's personal compensation has been a topic of widespread speculation since the Canadian Pacific announced it was acquiring the DM&E for $1.48 billion and it was reported the deal included financial incentives tied to completing DM&E's controversial Powder River Basin (PRB) expansion.

"Given the DM&E's deplorable safety record, it is appropriate to compare the money going into the pockets of DM&E's executives and shareholders
from the sale of DM&E, including incentives tied to the proposed PRB expansion, with the amount being put toward safety improvements," said Steve Ryan, legal counsel for Mayo Clinic. "The public has a right to
know about what is motivating DM&E's rush to advance the PRB expansion and if there is a disproportionate investment being made in personal
gains over public safety."

Proposed Mitigation

The STB has previously ruled that it will require mitigation only if the Canadian Pacific decides to proceed with DM&E's controversial PRB expansion. Mayo Clinic maintains that any increase in hazardous material shipments through Rochester without adequate mitigation -- regardless of the PRB expansion -- poses an unacceptable risk to the community and the patients and staff of Mayo Clinic.

As a condition of the Canadian Pacific's acquisition, Mayo Clinic today requested the STB require specific mitigation for Rochester, including:

  --  Regulatory/contractual speed limits on local hazardous materials traffic.
  --  Pre-notification for Rochester emergency services of hazmat cargo.
  --  Whistle-free crossings for non-grade separated road crossings.
  --  Increased inspection and installation of wayside detectors, such as  hot box/loose wheel detectors, to the west and east of Rochester to provide timely warning of potential problems prior to entering
Rochester city limits.
  --  Fencing for bike paths and pedestrian crossings and sound barriers.
  --  Consultation on how best to minimize project-related impacts to Mayo
      Clinic, including limited transportation of hazardous materials through Rochester.
  --  Multiple grade separations for specific in-city road crossings. These grade separated crossings should be designed and located to facilitate the movement of emergency vehicles to and from medical facilities
providing emergency services in Rochester, including Saint Marys Hospital and Rochester Methodist Hospital, which are both Mayo Clinic hospitals.
  --  Negotiate voluntary contractual limitations on the total number of  through-traffic trains moving through Rochester with Mayo Clinic and the City of Rochester.
 

"The Surface Transportation Board should require mitigation for Rochester as a condition of the DM&E sale," said Dr. Forbes. "Absent adequate mitigation and mandated safety improvements, DM&E will not be a safer railroad as a result of this acquisition but it will have more opportunity to make mistakes that could prove catastrophic for our patients, staff and community."

Background

For nearly a decade, the DM&E has pursued a major rail expansion though parts of southern Minnesota and South Dakota in order to haul large amounts of coal from Wyoming's Powder River Basin to distribution points in the East. Unable to secure private financing for the project, DM&E sought the largest federal loan to a private company in American history -- a $2.3 billion loan from U.S. taxpayers to finance a major rail
expansion project through the Midwest. On Feb. 26, 2007, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) denied the DM&E's $2.3 billion loan application citing that the loan would have posed an unacceptably high
risk to federal taxpayers.

In early September 2007, the Canadian Pacific announced its acquisition of the DM&E.

The Rochester Coalition is committed to protecting the people of Rochester and the patients and staff at Mayo Clinic as well as other affected communities. The Rochester Coalition represents the city of Rochester, Olmsted County, the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce and Mayo Clinic.

Source: Rochester Coalition
 

U.S. Postal Service Starts Service in 1,500 Post Offices

WASHINGTON, March 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Free and green. Those are the goals of a pilot program launched today by the U.S. Postal Service that allows customers to recycle small electronics and inkjet cartridges by mailing them free of charge.

The "Mail Back" program helps consumers make more environmentally friendly choices, making it easier for customers to discard used or obsolete small electronics in an environmentally responsible way. Customers use free envelopes found in 1,500 Post Offices to mail back inkjet cartridges, PDAs, Blackberries, digital cameras, iPods and MP3 players - without having to pay for postage.

Postage is paid for by Clover Technologies Group, a nationally recognized company that recycles, remanufactures and remarkets inkjet cartridges, laser cartridges and small electronics. If the electronic item or cartridges cannot be refurbished and resold, its component parts are reused to refurbish other items, or the parts are broken down further and the materials are recycled. Clover Technologies Group has a "zero waste to landfill" policy: it does everything it can to avoid contributing any materials to the nation's landfills.

It was this philosophy that won Clover the contract with the Postal Service, besting 19 other companies, said Anita Bizzotto, chief marketing officer and executive vice president for the Postal Service.

"As one of the nation's leading corporate citizens, the Postal Service is committed to environmental stewardship," Bizzotto said. "This program is one more way the Postal Service is empowering consumers to go green."

The free, postage-paid Mail Back envelopes can be found on displays in Post Office lobbies. There is no limit to the number of envelopes customers may take.

The pilot is set for 10 areas across the country, including Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles and San Diego, but could become a national program this fall if the pilot program proves successful.

The Postal Service recycles 1 million tons of paper, plastic and other materials annually. Last year, USPS generated more than $7.5 million in savings through recycling and waste prevention programs. The nation's environmental watchdog, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded the Postal Service eight WasteWise Partner of the Year awards, the agency's top honor.

The Mail Back program is another example of the Postal Service's commitment to sustainability. USPS is the only shipping or mailing company in the nation to receive Cradle to CradleSM Certification from MBDC (McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry) for human and environmental health. More than half a billion packages and envelopes provided by the Postal Service annually are nearly 100 percent recyclable and are produced with the least harmful materials. Based on the recycled content of these envelopes and packages, more than 15,000 metric tons of carbon equivalent emissions (climate change gases) now are prevented annually.

"We know our customers are interested in real solutions for proper disposal of personal electronics," Bizzotto said. "Everyone from consumers to businesses to non-profit organizations use the mail, and the Postal Service works to manage resources wisely to minimize environmental impact."

Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/welcome.htm.

An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address in the nation - 146 million homes and businesses. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses, not tax dollars. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world's mail.

Founded in 1996 in Ottawa, Illinois, Clover Technologies Group has rapidly grown into the global leader in the collection, remanufacturing and resale of small electronic assets, laser cartridges, and inkjet cartridges. Clover Technologies Group has spent many years on the Inc. 500 list for the Fastest Growing Private Companies and has achieved a 384% compounded annual growth rate over the past 4 years. In 2005, the founders of Clover Technologies won the E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year award. Globally, Clover has 15 facilities and more than 2,000 employees.

Source: U.S. Postal Service 

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