Inspections will continue as usual at the train refueling depot in Hauser, even after a conditional agreement for the facility sunsets. Kootenai County commissioners recently met with Idaho Department of Environmental Quality officials in the commissioners' chambers, to discuss future oversight of the BNSF Railway depot. The DEQ's 10-year agreement with BNSF for the depot - detailing aquifer protection activities and public outreach - is in its last year, confirmed Dan Redline, DEQ regional administrator. The agency wanted to hammer out any necessary agreements with the county to ensure monitoring activities continue smoothly, he said. "This helps us figure out what we need to do," Redline said/Alecia Warren, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here.

Question: Are you satisfied, after 10 years of operations without a serious incident, that the BNSF re-fueling operation over the Rathdrum Prairie is a safe one?