Elkridge Residents Appeal to Sen. Barbara Mikulski for Support

The office of Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-MD, responding to an inquiry from Patch, says a letter asking for her support in a community effort to oppose a truck-train freight transfer facility in Elkridge had not reached the senator after a month in transit.

But in a statement sent by her staff, Mikulski said residents should have any information on the planned site and construction made available to them.

A group of community activists is fighting a proposal to build the large industrial facility on Race and Hanover roads near hundreds of homes.

“We haven’t heard anything from Sen. Mikulski,” said Robyn Winder, who lives near Race and Hanover Roads by the site CSX and the Maryland Department of Transportation are considering, along with three others, for its operation. Community members are hoping that Mikulski will back their opposition.

"We believe that Sen. Mikulski could be a formidable ally for us," said Winder, who helped organize neighbors for a .

Citing Milulski's position on the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Transportation Subcommittee, the letter requested the senator's assistance in modifying the requirements for selecting sites for an intermodal facility.

"We ask for your support in ensuring that the [intermodal freight transfer station] is not built next to a residential neighborhood and that such language preventing its location in proximity to residences is formally added to the site selection criteria," it read.

There are more than 300 residences within a quarter-mile of the site at Hanover and Race roads, and Winder said that allowing the facility to be built there would "set a horrible precedent" for other neighborhoods.

The women mailed the letter July 21 but it has yet to arrive, according to Mikulski’s staff. Staff members said it has to go through an off-site screening process before reaching Senate offices.

In an e-mail Aug. 18 from her staff, Mikulski said the process should be transparent for residents.

“The decision on where to build this facility must only be made with the participation and support of the local community,” the e-mail said. "My constituents have a right to be heard and they have a right to all of the information that’s available. The federal environmental review process that is being used to evaluate the potential sites requires that the factors to be considered include impacts to the environment, as well as impacts to neighboring communities, including noise, traffic, appearance and residents’ rights to enjoy their homes and property.”