The Associated Press
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - In an effort to settle the case, attorneys for the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad and several Wyoming landowners have met in mediation for a lawsuit on whether the railroad can use eminent domain.
The Sioux Falls-based rail line wants to invest an estimated $6 billion to add and improve tracks in Wyoming, South Dakota and Minnesota so it can ship coal from Wyoming's Powder River Basin.
In a federal court filing, it says the project is going forth but at a slower pace because of the economy.
DM&E wants to condemn more than 1,400 acres in Wyoming so it can access the coal mining district, but the landowners are fighting it.
Canadian Pacific Railway took over DM&E last year after buying it.
