A RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE FIVE-STATE LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA, SEPTEMBER 27-29, 1981 AS AMENDED RESOLUTION WHEREAS, certain United States railroads received a total of 128,000,000 acres of federal land to encourage and assist in railroad construction; and WHEREAS, the total land grants enjoyed by the railroad displace 9.3 percent of the total land area of the United States, exclusive of Alaska and Hawaii; and WHEREAS, the railroads receiving these land grants built about 18,000 miles of roadway, approximately eight percent of the total railroad mileage of the country; and WHEREAS, four major western railroads, the Burlington Northern (through the Northern Pacific), the Union Pacific, the Southern Pacific, and the Sante Fe received 88 percent of the 128,000,000 acres; and WHEREAS, the land grant railroads have retained ownership of some land and much of the mineral rights obtained through said land grants; and WHEREAS, said land and mineral rights are extremely valuable and they contain farmland, coal, oil, gas, timber, and other resources; and WHEREAS, the land grant railroads derive significant income from such land and mineral rights; and WHEREAS, the land grant railroads have also formed holding companies to separate the land, mineral, and natural resource assets from their railroad operations; and WHEREAS, the railroads (particularly Burlington Northern) have announced intentions to abandon a significant portion of branch line networks in the next few years; and WHEREAS, rail transportation is vitally necessary to rural states to gather and ship bulk agricultural and other commodities; and WHEREAS, the abandonment of branch lines will result in a shift in fiscal responsibilities from the private sector to the public sector to maintain a road and highway system; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Five-State Legislative Conference and the respective state legislative branches of government in the five member states develop a cooperative effort to influence the retention of a sound railroad network by the land grant railroads and an efficient and economical operation of this system and the benefit of the citizens of those states; and Federal PART III Grants of Public Lands to Railroads Jesse J. Friedman & Associates Economic Consultants Washington, D.C. March 1980 |