BNSF 8599

Sand Hills Tribute

 

It’s a place that holds a special spot in the heart of very few, including those that call it home and the relatively small community that is aware of its existence and spends the time to visit it. It’s less of a secret and more of an unknown, a place so far away from civilization and so devoid of people that is captures the attention of zero outsiders. Its landscape is so unique that it is one of the only places remaining on the entire planet that registers anything like it. It’s a place so delicate that the greatest threat to its existence is not the cattle grazing, or the trains, or even the people, but of all things, a native species of tree. As crazy as it may sound, the Nebraska Sand Hills have been described as one of the most important ecosystems in the world, and yet no one knows of its existence.

 

Grasslands’ contribution to the environment is hard to capture. Much of what makes them important is either hard to see or happens under the surface, unlike a forest whose contribution is easily seen from miles and miles away. People usually refer to pretty places as those that are filled with trees in every direction—left, right, up, down—which is confusing to many others. Trees clutter the scene and hide the very thing you’re hoping to see, leaving a rather underwhelming green blanket over any landscape they dominate. The prettiest of scenes are impossible to look away from. They are vast and full of intrigue, capable of letting the mind wonder as far as the eye can see. They are places where you can look into the sunrise towards tomorrow and back at sunset to yesterday.

 

In 2022, a study was published in the journal Conservation Science and Practice attempting to identify the last continuous, intact grasslands remaining in the world. Of the 70 qualified grasslands that were identified for the study, only seven remained “relatively intact at large scales,” and number one on the list of all temperate grasslands on the entire planet was the Nebraska Sand Hills. Five of the seven finalists greatest threat to existence was “energy development.” The Sand Hills greatest threat is “woody encroachment.”

 

Additionally, the Sand Hills also sits atop the largest aquifer in the U.S. and the most important water resource in the country. The deepest part of the High Plains aquifer—much of which is made up of the Ogallala aquifer and spans from South Dakota to Texas—is right over the heart of the Sand Hills. The deepest part of the entire aquifer lies between Ashby and Whitman where the saturated thickness of the ground exceeds 1000 feet, an almost incomprehensible amount of water. Consequently, the water table lies at or near the surface in this part of Nebraska, the evidence being all the little lakes scattered about, giving the Sand Hills its signature look. Despite its documented contribution to the world, time is running out, and in more ways than one.

 

First off, the Sand Hills are the only major intact grassland without a formal conservation strategy. It’s mostly kept intact by private landowners who have to fend off the eastern redcedar by themselves, the tree species that is the greatest threat to the Sand Hills.

 

Secondly, and more relevant to us, the trains themselves are not as prevalent. In enough cases, they are so few and far between that BNSF has stored nearly 10 miles of autoracks on the main at Ellsworth in addition to the six or so miles of old grain hoppers on the 2nd main at Anselmo. There is little reason to believe this trend will ever reverse.

 

All the way back in 2015, at the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s annual conference, Matt Rose described the recent capacity improvements in the PRB as “millions of dollars in investment in what will eventually be stranded assets.” He saw this coming within the next 10 years at the time.

 

Today, rumors swirl that BNSF has put up the Orin for lease. In 2025, an estimated 4.7% of the total U.S. coal fleet is planned to retire. The two main ones include the Intermountain Power Project in Utah (though its retirement has been blocked by Utah lawmakers), and the J.H. Campbell station in Michigan (its retirement date extended from May to November by the DOE). One of these trains I shot out here in September was on its 177th load from Black Thunder to West Olive, MI, which translates to a minimum of 354 trains disappearing when it retires later this year. Even losing just 10 trains a day means 3,650 disappear over the course of a year, and the losses have been much greater than just 10 a day on all lines. Despite an entire decade head start, there is still no plan for how to replace all the coal traffic lost as the outlook for the railroads continually dwindles every year. Coal electricity generation is expected to fall another 2% for the U.S. next year, and there is absolutely no reason for it to recover, despite what our president says.

 

E SKSBTM0 31D

September 22, 2025 - 5:03PM

Antioch, NE // BNSF Sand Hills Sub

Done