BNSF Railway appears to be doing a decent job getting its refueling depot at Hauser in top shape to reopen.

The railroad has summoned 80 contractors and experts who are working around the clock to fix cracks and stop leaks that have bedeviled the depot since it opened more than six months ago. Judging from statements made by state and county officials, the railroad has cooperated fully in upgrading the depot’s containment system to protect the region’s drinking water.

Preferably, the railroad should have closed its operation on Valentine’s Day, when a second significant leak was found at the facility, rather than wait for a District Court to order it to do so almost two weeks later. The railroad didn’t do itself any favors by foot-dragging. The delay in closing the facility fanned resentment.

As BNSF officials press on to reopen the depot, they should address another problem – a public relations one. The latest leak, of diesel, has depleted the railroad’s already shrinking pool of friends. If the railroad wants to win over the public, it should change the way it does business. It should start by being open and above board to neighbors, the media and local government officials as well as regulators.

Before the railroad received permission to build the depot over the Spokane Valley/Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer, BNSF officials were willing to meet with public representatives to push the need for the facility. Now, it’s difficult to get useful information about the spills and leaks at the depot even from their public relations representative. Requests by reporters to check out the depot and observe remediation work have been rejected out of hand.

BNSF never will win over those residents who believe the aquifer won’t be safe as long as the depot remains at its current location. But railroad officials should work to win back the trust of others by being candid about problems and by opening the facility to inspections by their neighbors, the media and environmental organizations. The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality has performed well in monitoring the facility and remediation work. But more public monitoring is needed. The DEQ’s oversight of the project can be compromised by politicians who control its purse strings, including some who view environmental concerns with suspicion.

By being willing to play by Kootenai County’s rules, by accepting a district judge’s ruling to close operations rather than challenging it in a higher court, by cooperating with local and state officials, BNSF is taking the steps a good corporate citizen should take. Kootenai County Planning Director Rand Wichman is satisfied that changes made to the containment system by the railroad will “significantly reduce the potential for leaks.”

The public expects best practices and a state-of-the-art facility – and for BNSF officials to be as proud of showing them off as they were of promising that the depot would be leak-proof. With two strikes and counting, the facility has been anything but that.