To the editor:

I enjoyed Gary Tasman’s thoughtful analysis of Southwest Florida’s economic indicators in the May 7 edition of the Cape Coral Breeze. It’s true that economic indicators are a mixed bag and population growth brings with it both opportunities and pitfalls. One thing that I am particularly concerned about is the ability of our region and our state’s transportation infrastructure to handle the burden of increased congestion, both in terms of people and goods movement. 

It’s not only commuters and vacationers that contribute to congestion.  Southwest Florida is no stranger to freight movements. How do our cars, computers, oranges, and building materials get here?  Rail. Freight railroads play a significant role in the Florida economy as well as the national economy. We’d be in dire straits if our railroads were not able to maintain and grow their infrastructure. 

Unfortunately that’s just what we face with legislation being considered in this Congress and that doesn’t bode well for our ability to handle the increases in population being projected. Put simply, this legislation seeks to re-impose regulations on railroads, the very same type that caused many railroads to go bankrupt only 30 years ago. 

I oppose this economic regulation for a number of reasons, but first among those is that it failed before. If we want to effectively manage the growth of our region, then we must support increased investments in freight rail for the betterment of our entire transportation network. 

Joe Mazurkiewicz, Jr., Ph.D.

President, BJM Consulting, Inc.