Congresswoman Angie Craig Submits Request for the City of Lakeville to Receive $6.9 Million for a New Freight Rail Car Storage and Transload Facility

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig announced her submission for the City of Lakeville to receive $6,912,000 to plan, design and construct a freight rail car storage and transload facility. Craig submitted her request for Community Project Funding (CPF) for the Fiscal Year 2023 Appropriations process, through which Members of Congress are able to request funding for up to 15 specific projects in their districts which would serve the public good.

"I'm proud to announce my submission for Lakeville to receive federal support for this important project," said Representative Craig. "Constructing a new freight rail car storage and transload facility will not only reduce storage burdens on the city and its residents, but will also support economic development in Minnesota's fastest growing community."

"As the fastest growing city in Dakota County and the Twin Cities Metropolitan region, Lakeville is thrilled to be included in Representative Craig's Community Project Funding requests to update freight rail car facilities to ensure our city is able to keep up with this steady growth. This funding will allow us to alleviate public safety issues and support our city's economic development," said Lakeville Mayor Doug Anderson. "The widespread benefits of this new and improved facility will be felt across our entire city."

For years, short-line rail operators have been storing unsecured freight rail cars for extended amounts of time along rail lines located adjacent to residential, commercial and school campuses. This practice is currently attracting unauthorized access by the public to the unsecured freight rail cars, creating unsafe and potentially dangerous situations without emergency vehicle access. Relocating freight rail car storage and consolidating freight rail transload operations as proposed would eliminate the incompatible practice of mixing industrial activities in non-industrial areas and support economic development within the fastest growing city in Dakota County and the Twin Cities Metropolitan region in the past ten years.

The House Appropriations Committee intends to fund community projects on a limited basis in the FY23 Appropriations bills. Therefore, CPF requests that address the most significant needs of local communities or provide a significant public good are more likely to be included. The CPF program is being implemented with accountability measures to ensure a responsible and transparent process.

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