Mayo Clinic collides with coal trains

ROCHESTER, Minn.

But a plan by the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad (DM&E) to run mile-long trains loaded with coal through here daily has fueled a bitter eight-year battle pitting the famous clinic and its hometown against a growing railroad.

On one side is DM&E, which is based in Sioux Falls, S.D. It wants to expand into a 2,762-mile network carrying coal from Wyoming’s Powder River Basin. DM&E President Kevin Schieffer says eight coal trains could come through here daily.

USA Today