Noem: Support for South Dakota Rail is Good News for Producers, Shippers, and Economy
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Kristi Noem today applauded the U.S. Department of Transportation for prioritizing investments into South Dakota rail through a partnership between the state and the Rapid City Pierre & Eastern Railroad (RCP&E). After a months-long push by the South Dakota delegation and others, RCP&E earned a $6 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation in order to increase the railroad’s capacity.
“Nearly every commodity we produce in South Dakota is exported and shipped via rail,” said Noem, who joined Senators Thune and Rounds in writing Transportation Secretary Foxx about the grant earlier this year. “Disruptions or delays in rail service have an immediate impact. That’s what makes investing in our railways so critical to creating a healthy economy. The TIGER Grant is one way that our country makes that investment. I’m grateful the Secretary saw the merit of this project and recognized South Dakota freight rail as a worthy priority.”
In June, Noem, alongside Senators John Thune and Mike Rounds, wrote to Secretary Foxx urging the full and fair consideration of RCP&E’s grant application and stressing the railroad’s importance to South Dakota producers and shippers. Two months later, the congresswoman visited the RCP&E Yard Office near Rapid City, visiting with a number of the railroad’s 185 employees.
The TIGER grant announced today aims to increase the railroad’s capacity by constructing a siding near Phillip, S.D., and replacing approximately 10 miles of rail near Huron, S.D.
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Way to go subsidy queen.