Mayo Clinic Seeks Mitigation for Rochester as Condition of Canadian Pacific - DM&E Railr...( Concerns Raised Over DM&E's Continu...),Health

Concerns Raised Over DM&E's Continued Pursuit of Powder River Expansion

Despite CP's Declared Uncertainty

ROCHESTER, Minn., Feb. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Mayo Clinic today asked the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) to require mitigation for the city of Rochester as a condition of the Canadian Pacific's pending acquisition of the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad (DM&E). The proposed merger currently ignores the significant environmental impacts created by combining the two railroads, including the consequences of increased shipments of ethanol and other hazardous materials on what are universally considered to be unsafe tracks. The STB has previously ruled that it will require mitigation only if the Canadian Pacific decides to proceed with DM&E's controversial Powder River Basin (PRB) expansion proposal.

Mayo Clinic submitted its comments today as part of the STB's formal review of the proposed Canadian Pacific-DM&E merger.

"We remain committed to working with the Canadian Pacific and we look forward to it assuming ownership of the DM&E, but at the same time we need to protect the interests of our patients, staff and community," said Glenn Forbes, M.D., CEO of Mayo Clinic Rochester. "Any increase in hazardous material shipments through Rochester without adequate mitigation poses an unacceptable risk."

Right now there are more questions than answers about how this merger will affect us," added Forbes. "We need answers."

The merger is expected to create a new single service rail option that has the potential for significant growth regardless of the viability of PRB expansion. If current Canadian Pacific projections hold, DM&E's Iowa, Chicago & Eastern line has the potential to originate more than 36,000 carloads of ethanol annually by 2010. Increased traffic generated by the merger is expected to move through Rochester on its way to and from the Canadian Pacific's interchange point at Minnesot
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