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WEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 2002

Ron Volesky, the only Native American running for governor in South Dakota, said he supports a railroad project opposed by several tribes.

Volesky, a Democrat and member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, said the $1.5 billion Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad project would bring jobs to the state. Two other Democrat hopefuls also support the project while one disagreed.

Six tribes have filed an administrative challenge to the project. They include Voleksy's tribe.

DM&E plans to lay down almost 300 miles of new track from the Black Hills in South Dakota to the Powder River Basin coal mines of Wyoming. The company also wants to replace 600 miles of existing track in South Dakota and Minnesota.

The project is the largest rail expansion in history.

Get the Story:
3 of 4 Democrats back DM&E (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 5/1)

Get Decision Documents:
DAKOTA, MINNESOTA & EASTERN RAILROAD CORPORATION CONSTRUCTION INTO THE POWDER RIVER BASIN (Docket No. FD 33407 0)

Relevant Links:
Surface Transportation Board - http://www.stb.dot.gov
DM&E - http://www.dmerail.com

Related Stories:
Tribes oppose Black Hills rail (4/10)
Editorial: Black Hills rail needed (2/12)
Black Hills rail given approval (1/31)
Editorial: Black Hills rail promising (12/17)
Black Hills rail opponents rally (12/10)
Support mixed on Black Hills railroad (11/27)
Black Hills rail gets approval (11/20)
Court battle seen over Black Hills rail (11/1)
Report due on Black Hills railroad (10/15)
Interior opposes railroad expansion (4/2)