There is as always a lot of speculation here and a lot of mis-information as well, however, I find "Little Lake Listener" very knowledegable and informed. Unlike most folks, he does his homework and knows how to use the internet to find the right answers from the appropriate government regulators. Botom line: if NWP had the money to restore the Eel River Canyon, the contractor could start today without an EIR or permits because the railraod has never been officially abandoned. The only requirement is to protect the river from debris and as long as they remain within the footprint of the ROW. Recent case in point. UP stated working on day 1 for 105 days to restore traffic after a huge slide in the Cascades on US Forest Land in Oregon. They worked with the USFS to speed the construction process. When a huge arson fire destroyed the 1/2 mile long trestle in Sacramento two years ago, UP rebuilt in 15 days....and they weren't waiting around for permits or EIR's. They worked with Fish and Game and other California agencies to make sure they didn't harm the environment. "Friends of the Eel" can file suits until the cows come home but they would be wasting lots of money unless the STB changes the rules and thats not likely to happen any time soon. Finally, the transportaton bonds passed last year in California are finally being spent with the CTC allocatting $46 million to enlarge tunnels on Donner and restore 9 miles of track taken up by SP in the early 1990's. All UP has to do is do the work within the existing ROW with no permits of from anyone.