[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 141 (Thursday, October 3, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12275-S12276]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SALUTE TO GUST LARSON

  Mr. PRESSLER. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment today to 
pay tribute to a great South Dakotan--Gust Larson of Midland. Gust is a 
``salt of the Earth'' individual whose feet are planted firmly in the 
real world. Gust is truly one of South Dakota's unsung heroes. He 
deserves to be recognized for his leadership in helping to preserve 
rail service across South Dakota. I was privileged to work with Gust 
Larson several years ago on this issue. My association with Gust 
consists of some of the most productive and enjoyable work I have done 
as a United States Senator for South Dakota.
  I first met Gust in the early 1980's when the Chicago & Northwestern 
Railroad [C&NW] filed for abandonment of the only east-west rail line 
across South Dakota. Gust owned the local grain elevator in Midland, a 
small town in the middle of western South Dakota with less than 300 
residents. When the C&NW announced its abandonment plans, Midland and 
other communities along the rail line were devastated, as were all the 
farmers and ranchers who depended on the railroad to ship their grain 
to market.
  The prospects for blocking the abandonment looked bleak at the time. 
Back then, rail consolidation was the norm throughout the Nation. All 
across the country, one rail line after another was being abandoned. 
Thus, given the climate of the times, few people held out much hope 
when the C&NW announced its intent to abandon the 164-mile line from 
Rapid City to Fort Pierre. Some people even said there was no point in 
fighting the abandonment because the railroads always got their way 
with the Interstate Commerce Commission [ICC].
  Gust Larson was not one of those people. Gust is a fighter, and he 
was not about to give up his and his fellow South Dakotans only rail 
link to the outside world without a fight. Gust knew the rail line 
would certainly be abandoned if nothing was done. He could not stand by 
and lose the only rail link to the grain market terminals to the east 
and down south to the Gulf of Mexico. Loss of this line would result in 
higher costs for western South Dakota grain producers in shipping their 
grain to market.
  I shared Gust's concerns. The so-called political experts at the time 
advised me to keep a low profile. They urged me not to get involved. 
Fighting the abandonment was seen as a lost cause. Well, I grew up 
believing that lost causes sometimes were the ones worth fighting for. 
And, like Gust, I would not stand idly by and let the C&NW abandon this 
important line. So, ignoring the advice of the naysayers, I joined Gust 
Larson's lost cause to save the rail line.
  A shippers group called the Western South Dakota Railway Users 
Association was formed, and Gust agreed to serve as chairman. Some 
scoffed and said we were tilting at windmills in challenging a huge 
corporation like C&NW with all its financial resources and attorneys. 
Skeptics pointed out that the C&NW had filed several other abandonment 
petitions across the country, and all of them had been approved by the 
ICC. Why would our line be any different?
  Despite these tremendous odds, we decided to take on the railroad. 
Gust and his fellow rail users held countless telephone conversations 
and meetings with my office to formulate strategy and develop a plan of 
action.
  Frankly, I suspect that C&NW corporate officials who handled 
abandonment petitions on a regular basis didn't take Gust Larson and 
his small band of rail users very seriously. After all, the C&NW was 
successful in other abandonment requests, and all certainly involved 
the usual protests from people like Gust Larson. Well, the C&NW 
attorneys and executives were in for a

[[Page S12276]]

surprise. They had never encountered someone like Gust Larson before.
  I requested that the ICC send an administrative law judge to hold a 
formal field hearing in South Dakota. At the ICC hearing in Philip in 
September of 1983, Gust Larson and others emphasized to ICC 
Administrative Law Judge Edward McGrail the importance of preserving 
this important rail line. Much to the surprise of the naysayers and the 
C&NW, Judge McGrail issued a ruling against the railroad's abandonment 
request.
  As expected, the C&NW appealed Judge McGrail's decision to the ICC. 
After intensive efforts, we convinced the Commission to let stand the 
judge's decision. Although Gust and the rest of us were very pleased by 
the Commission's action, we knew the battle was not over. We knew the 
C&NW could come back and file a new abandonment request, which would 
mean the battle would start all over again.

  If the C&NW truly was not interested in operating the line, it could 
refuse to perform much-needed maintenance work on the line. This would 
lead to a gradual deterioration of the line's condition and ultimately 
a degradation of service. The only real solution was to find someone 
interested in operating the rail line. This obviously was no easy task.
  We made a full-court press to identify potential buyers. After 
countless meetings and phone calls, we were able to convince a group of 
investors who were willing to take their chances on the future of this 
line. The Dakota, Minnesota, and Eastern Railroad [DM&E] was formed and 
an agreement was worked out with the C&NW to purchase the C&NW east-
west rail line across the entire state of South Dakota and into 
Minnesota. Since its inception, the D&ME has invested millions of 
dollars in maintenance and track repair and has demonstrated its 
commitment to improving rail service for South Dakota shippers.
  Today, many people may not realize how close western South Dakota 
came to losing its rail service to the east. Had Gust not stepped up to 
the plate to lead the local shippers group, who knows what might have 
happened?
  Gust Larson is the pride of South Dakota. His effort to save the rail 
line is reminiscent of the legendary stories of tough, rugged fighters 
who turned a vast prairie into a state of enormous promise and 
opportunity. Generations from now, Gust Larson's story also will be 
legendary. He has made a lasting contribution to his community, his 
State and his country. It was one of the great privileges of my life to 
work with Gust. It is an honor to know Gust Larson. It is an even 
greater honor to call him my friend. I salute him. Thanks to the help 
of Gust Larson, the rumble of trains can still be felt and heard across 
western South Dakota.

                          ____________________