Privately funded or not, anything that requires a permit from a state or local agency is subject to CEQA and a host of other state environmental laws. Resurrecting NWP for real (as a useful RR not just a couple streaks of rust with an occasional 10mph train) is subject to many and possibly conflicting permit requirements from state and local agencies possibly leading to fights over who's in charge. And you can't tell me with a straight face that everything can be done in the original right of way - some of it doesn't even exist any more (in the river) and there are lots of places where a for-real operator will want to ... um ... straighten things out or really stabilize a hillside. Think Novato on steroids even if NCRA gets out of the picture.

Privately funded or not, anything that requires a permit, approval, or funding from a federal agency is subject to NEPA. Host of other federal environmental laws apply too. Lots of federal involvement with things affecting water, waterfront, federal lands, tribes, etc. not to mention FRA and STB.

Bottom line: anybody resurrecting and actually improving NWP especially in the Eel canyon better have lots of money (let's talk billion$ by the time something moves for pay) and time for lawyers engineers and environmental people before even starting to talk construction. That goes for port proponents too.