Railroad Pursuing Plans For Refueling Station Bn Inquires About Permits For Hauser Project

Public hearings and a neighborhood meeting will be held in the next several months over Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad plans for a locomotive refueling project near Hauser.

The railroad apparently is considering buying more land in order to add the giant service station to its switching yard, located south of state Highway 53 about two miles south of Rathdrum. The land would have to be rezoned for an industrial development.

That would require public hearings before the Kootenai County Planning and Zoning Commission and Kootenai County commissioners. Burlington Northern also will have to acquire two conditional use permits for the project.

One will deal with the two, 900,000-gallon diesel storage tanks the railroad plans to erect. The other conditional use permit would be necessary for the expansion of the railroad’s current operation.

The railroad met with state and county officials last week to find out what sort of permits they will need. County officials suggested Burlington Northern hold a town hall style meeting with Rathdrum and Hauser area residents before the project gets much further along.

Railroad spokesman Gus Melonas said the company would announce later how it will proceed with planning the project.

Some Rathdrum residents have expressed concern about putting diesel tanks over the Spokane-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer. A proposal by Washington Water Power to install a 5-million-gallon diesel fuel tank for its turbine generator on the Rathdrum Prairie a few years ago drew similar criticism. The tank was not built.

As long as Burlington Northern obtains a critical materials permit - by providing secondary containment for the fuel tanks and the fueling area - there is nothing to stop the project, said Jeff Lawlor of Panhandle Health District.

The railroad also will have to obtain a septic permit. It may, however, attempt to tap into Rathdrum’s sewer lines.

That would require the railroad to have the refueling shop annexed by the city of Rathdrum. If that happens, Burlington Northern will not have to deal with county zone changes, conditional use permits or public hearings, county planning officials say.

Burlington Northern first raised the possibility of moving its Spokane Valley refueling depot to the Hauser area this spring. The $30 million operation may be built as soon as spring 1998 and would employ about 35 people.

, DataTimes