Several good ideas have been presented here. YES, there should be some sort of an investigation (criminal or otherwise) of the demolition of the unburned portion of the trestle. I find the move VERY suspect---especially when one notes that the bike trail groups in Pullman and Moscow and an enviromental lobbying group out of Moscow have long enjoyed a favorable working relationship with WSDOT on the bike trails that have been built so far. I also doubt that the line between Thornton and Oakesdale will be rebuilt in my lifetime since it has been so totally destroyed, I suspect that it will have to undergo all the enviromental reviews and wetlands surveys, public hearings, STB reviews and etc....and since Oaksdale opposes it, it is probably a moot point anyway. I do agree that if the line is torn up, it will be put into the Bill Chipman Trail network at great expense and a bridge equal to or more expensive will be built to replace the burned bridge. I am at a loss to eplain why the WSDOT isn't going after the farmer's insurance---combines catch fire for a reason, either due to lack of upkeep, lack of cleaning or what have you. From what I've read, the farmer was not prepared to deal with potential fire, had no fire lines plowed as some farmers do, and didn't have equipment nearby to plow one should the need suddenly arise. The fastest solution to this would be to rebuild the bridge, I think it could be done much cheaper than $5 million.
People who live in the area should be keeping a close watch on lawmakers and the WSDOT, your gonna get screwed big time if you don't watch out!