N. Idaho deserves voice in railroad decisions

Lake Pend Oreille is the crown jewel of Idaho. Our largest lake is the source of clean water we drink and the beautiful setting where we swim, boat, and fish. The lake is a priceless economic asset too, drawing both visitors and investment.

The railroads that cross North Idaho claim that they want to be good corporate neighbors. However, that requires they take responsibility for the risks they pose upon our community. So far, those efforts have fallen short. Still they want more.

For years, rail companies have hauled thousands of railcar loads of oil, coal, and other hazardous substances that could derail and tarnish the lake forever. Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railway is now seeking permits from the US Army Corps of Engineers to build a second rail bridge across the lake.

So far, Idahoans have dodged the bullets when it comes to dangerous derailments. But there have been close calls.

In 2017, three trains derailed in north Idaho near waterways — the contorted train pile up near Cocolalla, the mountainside derailment above Moyie River, and the track wash out in Ponderay stand out. Thankfully, these trains were not carrying fossil fuels or hazardous substances.

But in August, just 20 miles upriver from Lake Pend Oreille, a Montana Rail Link coal train derailed and spilled over 3,500 tons of coal along the riverbank and into the Clark Fork River. More than a month went by before MRL officials began to actually remove the coal. Meanwhile, the coal on the riverbank spontaneously combusted and began to smoke — this at the height of fire season.

So, how long are we willing to play Train Car Roulette before we demand our state and federal officials address these derailments?

The Idaho Public Utilities Commission is the state regulatory agency that has authority to oversee railroad safety but it has no state track inspectors. The Federal Railroad Administration is not much better — Idaho splits one federal track inspector between eastern Washington and Montana. There are 1,600 miles of rail line in Idaho alone and over 3,000 in Montana. Although each railroad company employs their own track inspectors, the inspectors and their standards are not accountable to the people of Idaho.

If Idaho can’t do much in the way of preventing derailments, you’d hope that our emergency response preparedness would be top notch. But it’s not.

Agencies that reviewed the 2017 Lake Pend Oreille and Pend Oreille River Geographic Response Plan found a host of problems. For example, there is not currently enough boom ready in Clark Fork to prevent an oil spill from entering Lake Pend Oreille, if a derailment occurs upriver on the Clark Fork. Even though every minute would count in such an emergency, additional boom would have to be trucked in from other areas.

In addition, if a derailment were to occur, boats would likely be needed to deploy the booms. But only two boat ramps (one in Hope and one in Priest River) are usable between mid-October and mid-May, when the lake level is low. Furthermore, MRL does not appear to currently have a deep-water cleanup plan in place if a train were to derail over a deep section of Lake Pend Oreille and spill substances that sink.

We cannot continue to gamble with the future of Lake Pend Oreille and our community.

The people of Idaho need to put our foot down. The people who live here — including the tribes that have lived here for thousands of years — deserve a voice when it comes to determine the future of the lake.

If you are concerned about the safety of our lake, please set aside time now and in the weeks ahead to contact your state legislators and tell them you want state legislative and budgetary actions taken to protect Lake Pend Oreille and the clean water in North Idaho. You can find your legislators at: https://legislature.idaho.gov/legislators/whosmylegislator/

Matt Nykiel works with the Idaho Conservation League to protect clean air and clean water in North Idaho.