Key BNSF Railway refuel depot events
1997 – BNSF Railway proposes a refueling depot near Hauser to relieve congestion on the company’s northern line. Friends of the Aquifer founded to oppose the facility’s construction atop the region’s sole-source drinking water aquifer.
1998 – A Kootenai County hearings examiner recommends against granting a permit to the depot. A month later, the railroad hires the Gallatin Group, a premier Northwest public relations firm, to better address community concerns.
1999 – BNSF revises its plans and unveils a proposal for a smaller facility; The Panhandle Health District board of directors votes to take a stand against the depot, while the Coeur d’Alene Area Chamber of Commerce votes to support construction of the facility; Washington Gov. Gary Locke urges Kootenai County commissioners to deny a permit for depot construction. Locke’s call was criticized by the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce, which said Locke’s stance was based on emotion, not science.
2000 – Kootenai County convenes another set of hearings, after which the presiding officer rules that the depot would be too great a risk for the aquifer. At a subsequent hearing, a Kootenai County commissioner accidentally took a gulp of diesel-laden water that was used as a prop. Spokane County unveils tough new above-ground storage tank laws in response to the brewing depot dispute. The Spokane City Council also enters the fracas and recommends against permitting the depot.
Spokane residents Cherie Rodgers and Thomas Flynn file a lawsuit in federal court to stop the depot. The suit is later dismissed on the grounds that only the Surface Transportation Board has the authority to regulate the railroad. Kootenai County commissioners vote 2-1 to permit the depot
2001 – The federal Surface Transportation Board rejects a request to review the depot proposal, saying it has no authority to impose additional restrictions.
2002 – Most of the construction at the depot is completed. Kootenai County Commission Chairman Dick Panabaker is given a sneak peak and declares, “You’d have to drop an H-bomb in that thing to cause a problem for the aquifer.”
2004
Aug. 31: Grand opening ceremony held. First trains roll through the following day.
Dec. 10: Fuel and wastewater discovered leaking directly into the ground from a crushed drain pipe; later tests find the fuel reached the aquifer, but in small enough concentrations where no health threat is posed.
2005
Jan 21: Railroad executive apologizes in front of the Kootenai County commission for the spill.
Feb. 14: Fuel is discovered leaking through cracks in the concrete refueling platform.
Feb. 15: Kootenai County commissioners request an immediate shutdown.
Feb. 16: The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality demands an immediate shutdown.
Feb. 22: Idaho DEQ seeks an emergency court order to close the depot, citing “immediate and substantial danger to public health and the environment.”
Feb. 23: State District Judge Charles Hosack gives the railroad 24 hours to clear the tracks and says the depot must remain closed until problems are fixed.
April 5: Court hearing on the short-term operations of the depot is scheduled.
Source: Spokesman-Review archives