BNSF should welcome review
After yet another significant wastewater spill at the BNSF Railway Co.’s refueling depot, the pro-business Kootenai County Board of Commissioners and the entire delegation of the 5th Legislative District asked BNSF to temporarily suspend operations. Significantly, the 5th District includes two former Republican commissioners with sterling economic development credentials, including state Sen. Dick Compton, who voted in the 2-to-1 majority to allow the depot to be built.
BNSF’s supporters are having second thoughts about a facility that has suffered two major spills above the region’s major source of drinking water in its first six months. The company’s critics are not. They believe county commissioners compromised public health by approving a permit for the controversial depot. And they want the railroad to suspend operations and find another site.
BNSF would be wise to consider the criticisms being leveled at the depot, from critics as well as friends. The facility will always be viewed with anger by some. But the railroad will risk key support if it’s not open when a problem occurs. It should welcome an independent review of the facility and keep its promise to immediately notify Kootenai County – as well as surrounding communities – when a spill occurs.
The railroad provides a valuable service, transporting all manner of freight around the country. In the Pacific Northwest, the refueling depot at Hauser aids the process considerably by shaving the previous refueling time of eight hours in Seattle to about 45 minutes.
To the railroad’s credit, the failsafe system apparently worked to prevent the second leak from reaching the Spokane Valley/Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer. Two levels of containment were breached, but there’s no evidence that wastewater got beyond a final plastic membrane. The railroad acted responsibly by closing one of the three refueling platforms and testing right away for contaminants below it.
However, the railroad didn’t contact Kootenai County, and the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality failed to immediately notify public health and environmental protection agencies in neighboring Washington. Less than a month ago, BNSF officials apologized in person for another spill that did reach the aquifer. “We’re committed to making the most of a bad experience,” railroad executive Mark Stehly said then.
The railroad needs to follow through on those words by being above board about its facility and operation.