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• Across the state agriculture shippers are experiencing a shortage of rail cars. This shortage is caused by several factors: the cold long winter we have experienced across the Midwest, the influx of traffic to support the Bakken, the record 2013 harvest, and delays caused by construction on the rail system outside the state. 
• I am very concerned about this problem because our agriculture economy is highly dependent on the state's commodities getting to the market. 
• Over the last few weeks my staff have been communicating with representatives of the Burlington, Northern & Santa Fe Railroad, the Canadian Pacific and the Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad to urge them to do whatever is possible to restore

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