WIGGINS BILL WOULD HELP RAILROAD PAY FOR CLEANUP

California State Sen. Patricia Wiggins, D-Santa Rosa, has introduced
legislation to enable the North Coast Railroad Authority to reallocate a
fraction of the funds it receives through the federal Traffic Congestion
Relief Program to help cover the costs of environmental cleanup.

The NCRA was established to own and operate the former Northwestern Pacific
Railroad, which runs between Napa and Humboldt counties. Until the railroad
is fully operational, NCRA is responsible for emergency maintenance such as
strengthening levees, repairing bridges and culverts, vegetation and weed
abatement, and general cleanup of debris along the 316 miles of right-of-way
from Lombard in Napa County to Samoa in Humboldt County.

Under existing law, the NCRA received $60 million in grants through the
Transportation Congestion Relief Program to repair and upgrade tracks.
However, the law also required the Authority to hold $5.5 million in
reserve, previously designated to help repay a federal loan that has since
been forgiven.

According to Wiggins, the original justification for holding $5.5 million in
reserves no longer makes sense.

"In recent years, the railroad has suffered serious storm damage,
encountered environmental problems, been slapped with federal safety
sanctions, and generally declined operationally and financially," Wiggins
said. "The NCRA now finds itself in a kind of Catch-22 situation, where it
has funds available to address several of its most pressing needs but is
currently prevented from accessing those funds."

Her bill, SB 861, is similar to legislation carried by former Sen. Wesley
Chesbro in 2005.
Chesbro's bill, however, was vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In his veto message, Schwarzenegger said the $5.5 million savings should
revert back to the Transportation Investment Fund so that it could be
allocated by the California Transportation Commission to other projects
within the Transportation Congestion Relief Program.

"It is my belief that enabling the Authority to redirect those reserve funds
to meet its environmental cleanup and administrative requirements will put
the re-start and restoration of the railroad on a fast track," Wiggins said.


A 1999 Mendocino Superior Court order requires that the NCRA clean up nine
rail yards between Eureka and Hopland. Currently, that effort is only
partially completed, and has included the surface cleanup of scrap metal,
railroad ties, abandoned vehicles, steel drums and hazardous waste.

Under the senator's bill, $4 million of the current $5.5 million reserve
would be designated for environmental cleanup, with the remainder allocated
toward administrative expenses.

According to Wiggins, the NCRA spent last year addressing issues that may
change the Schwarzenegger Administration's view of NCRA in 2007:

The California Transportation Commission now fully supports the rail
authority's plan to repair the Northwestern Pacific line and complete the
court order;

The Attorney General's office and state environmental officials now
understand that the $4 million provided in this bill would ensure compliance
with the court order;

The NCRA now has an operator with a business plan to provide rail service
which was endorsed by the CTC in November 2006. - The Ukiah Daily Journal