Dear Editor:

Despite numerous attempts by the North Coast Railroad Authority (NCRA) to meet with Sacramento Bee columnist Dan Walters to correct the record, he has chosen once again to bash the NCRA without checking his facts. His April 18 column in the Press Democrat is a rehash of a factually incorrect column he wrote in June 2005 berating NCRA, state and federal legislators, local elected officials and everyone else who supports the return of rail service on the North Coast.

Here are the facts:

_ NCRA has a Strategic Plan and Business Plan acceptable to the California Transportation Commission (CTC);

_ Thanks to recent actions by the CTC, NCRA has enough transportation funding to repair the first 62 miles of track (Lombard to Windsor) and will commence that repair effort this summer;

_ NCRA has an experienced Operator under contract anxious to move commodities on this section of line when the repairs are complete;

_ SB 861 (Wiggins) provides the funds necessary to complete a court-ordered environmental clean-up and to respond to emergency maintenance issues all along the 316 mile publicly-owned line, at no cost to the State General Fund.

_ Funds in Senator Wiggins’ bill cannot by law be used for local highway projects. If the money in SB 861 is not used by NCRA, it will be exported to another designated congestion relief project in another part of the state.

_ NCRA supports a Willits Bypass and looks forward to railing-in the aggregate necessary for its construction.

If given the opportunity to meet with Mr. Walters, we would also have made the case that the return of freight service to the NWP line is good for the environment, good for the economy, and good energy policy. We would have pointed out that one rail car takes 4 trucks off of 101, that moving freight by rail as compared to truck reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 80%, and that the investment of state funds in rail infrastructure compares favorably to investment in Southern California freeway interchanges.

It has taken far too long, but the repairs to the NWP line are finally set to begin thanks to the long-standing support of legislators, cities, counties, and citizens of the North Coast. Dan Walters needs to talk to us before he launches another baseless tirade against North Coast rail service.

Allan Hemphill, Chairman
North Coast Railroad Authority