A federal panel has given the go-ahead for a major rebuilding and expansion plan for the Dakota, Minnesota, and Eastern Railroad. The approval by the federal Surface Transportation Board is no surprise---the board rarely denies applicants. But the decision is the first major hurdle cleared by D-M and E since the company announced its 1.4-billion dollar plan last spring. Now, both opponants and supporters say they're looking ahead to the next big decision that scrutinizes the proposal's environmental impacts. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports. In keeping with their agressive opposition to the railroad's proposal, Rochester-area officials organized a press conference barely a half-hour after the Surface Transportation Board announced it's decision. Olmstead County board chairman Paul Wilson says the ruling points out the need to ch