Railroad Prepares New Depot Proposal Bnsf Seeks Pre-Application Meeting With Commission

Thu., June 17, 1999

By Alison Boggs alisonb@spokesman.com (509) 459-5314

Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railroad has requested a conference with Kootenai County planning officials to discuss the refueling depot it would like to build near Rathdrum.

“They asked me to set up a preapplication conference for the end of June,” said Cheri Howell, the county’s planning director. The meeting likely will take place later this month.

Howell said pre-application conferences are the first step toward applying for permits.

“They come in with nothing and I tell them what the procedure is,” Howell said.

The railroad applied in early 1998 for permits from Kootenai County to build a refueling depot, but withdrew the request last June after months of vigorous public opposition. The company subsequently hired the Gallatin Group public relations firm to address residents’ concerns about the refueling depot’s potential to contaminate the Rathdrum Prairie aquifer, the region’s sole source of drinking water.

“We have asked for a meeting with the county to go through the requirement process. At this point, we are continuing to review facility plans,” said Gus Melonas, a spokesman for Burlington Northern.

The Rathdrum refueling depot last proposed by the railroad was to include two million-gallon diesel tanks, with room for a third. Railroad officials have said the facility would be state-of-the-art, with extensive environmental protections.

That hasn’t swayed opponents, who are preparing for another battle.

“We’re marshaling our forces,” said Clay Larkin, a member of Friends of the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer. “We’re just trying to get everything lined up so when they come we’ll be ready.”

The opposition group last month proposed a law to county commissioners calling for strict limits on new businesses that use significant quantities of fuel or material that could spoil the drinking water.

“Our hopes are that the commissioners will take a real strong look at that,” Larkin said. “With that ordinance in place, it’s virtually impossible to put any sort of facility like what they’re proposing over a sole source of water.”

The commissioners, who have the final say about Burlington Northern permits, have not taken action on that proposal.

This sidebar appeared with the story: WHAT’S NEXT The meeting with Kootenai County planning officials likely will take place later this month.

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