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Greg Buck prepared this document:WHY OPPOSE NEW TERRAIN I-69
1.
New Terrain I-69 would wipe out 2800 more
acres of
farmland, 1000 more acres of forest, 44 more acres of wetlands and over
3700
more acres of right of way than the Common Sense Route. 2.
Every
independent cost-benefit analysis on I-69 since 1990 demonstrates a
negative
return on investment. The latest study shows a return of only 66 cents
for
every dollar invested. In contrast, a team of scientists who specialize
in
ecological economics, including Robert Costanza, have globally found a
return
on investment of $100 for every dollar invested in enhancing natural
places, a
much higher return than conversion of the land. 3.
The $162 million in personal income growth
promised
by INDOT, year 2025, translates into negative $10 per capita personal
disposable income. 4.
I-69
related job growth in SW Indiana is forecast to increase by slightly
more than
1/4 of 1 percent. 5.
Each new job would cost $359,375 to develop. 6.
94%
of the comments submitted to INDOT on the DEIS opposed the new terrain
I-69
plan favoring no build or I-70/US41. 7.
New Terrain opponents include Senators and
Representatives, City and County Councils, county highway depts., the
EPA, US
Fish and Wildlife, labor unions, taxpayer groups, economic development
groups,
newspapers, and religious groups. 8.
Interstates
do not bring economic success. Indiana is 4th in the nation in
rural
interstate density and we are leaders in job and income loss.
Prosperity has to
do with quality of life, something that INDOT is jeopardizing. 9.
All 92 Indiana counties would bear the
expense of
paying for this interstate in terms of higher gas taxes and decreased
funding
for other transportation projects throughout the state. 10.
As
acknowledged in the DEIS, there is no federal mandate that Indiana
build I-69. 11.
New Terrain I-69 would plow under between
$100
million to $200 million of tax base in Perry Township, Marion County. 12.
THIS
IS NOT A DONE DEAL. YOUR VOICE COUNTS. Little funding has
been
provided for this project. There are still many more options for
highway
opponents to exercise. There is still time for you to support the
people of
Indiana in saying "NO to New Terrain I-69." This information is from COUNT US!, a flier by www.commonsenseI69.org and “Economic Reasons for Conserving Wild Nature”. |
© COUNT US! 2002 -'03,'04 |
