Congressman Conyers has taken a key leadership role in opposing the Riverview Trenton Railroad Company's (RTRR) efforts to operate and establish an intermodal transportation terminal involving rail, motor and possibly barge traffic in the towns of Riverview and Trenton in Wayne County, Michigan.
Congressman Conyers firmly believes that the decision to permit RTRR to conduct its operations on the lower Detroit River could have significant homeland security implications and could have a severe negative impact on the local environment.
Many experts on port security issues have already written about the inherent risks associated with intermodal transportation terminals. Indeed, a recent National Cargo Security Council report warned of the potential dangers associated with such terminals by pointing out that individuals often are able to "exploit the complexity of the intermodal system" because the system provides an "almost infinite number of ways to conceal contraband."
Congressman Conyers shares these concerns. He also believes that the RTRR facility could provide additional opportunities for would-be terrorists to gain access to America from Canada due to lax rail security. It has already been widely reported that on numerous occasions in the past, suspected terrorists, such as Abu Mezer and Ahmed Ressam, have attempted to enter this country by crossing the Canadian border.
The impact of RTRR's operation on the Downriver community's local waterways is also a major concern of Congressman Conyers. A recent report released by the Environmental Protection Agency entitled, "Evaluating Ecosystem Results of Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) Control Measures within the Detroit River - Western Lake Erie Basin," has already detected significant levels of PCBs in the Trenton Channel and Black Lagoon. Experts believe that any additional increase in PCB levels could have a harsh impact on the community's local waterways, namely "walleye" fishing in the Detroit River.
Congressman Conyers' efforts to resolve this ongoing issue include writing a letter to Homeland Security Department Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security, Asa Hutchison asking him to evaluate the homeland security implications concerning RTRR and Mr. Conyers' organized a town hall meeting in the downriver community in August 2003.