Several years ago, Washington lawmakers passed laws turning over ownership of all water within the state to the state of Washington. Over the past two years, every water right holder has had to reapply to the State of Washington for permission to continue to draw their water either from the ground or a stream. You have to ask the state for permission to drill a well, and the state can turn you down. Recently in Whitman county the state told people wanting to build rural homes that they had to share wells with their neighbors as the state will no longer allow one well per home. Cities of Spangle and Uniontown, amoung others, have recently been told by the state that they can't drill new city wells to provide water for new homes. Washington state is in a bit of conflict, as it wants to restrict traffic into it's ports to limit pollution of water and air, yet it wants to expand port jobs and get more shipping lines to call at their ports---it needs to make up it's mind. As to rebuilding the Lind-Ellensburg segment of the MILW, there are big issues in the City of Ellensburg as the university there has build buildings right on top of the RofW, does anyone know what route has been proposed around this problem? It would seem to me that it would be rather easy to double track the Stevens Pass tunnel, all they would need to do is bore out the Pioneer Tunnel to dimmensions large enough for double stacks. If I recall correctly, the Pioneer Tunnel has a shaft that goes to the top of the mountain that was used to dispose of materials created by tunnel construction, reopening that shaft could greatly aid in ventilation of both the current tunnel and the Pioneer tunnel. Just some random thoughts.