Some call them environmental champions. Others have less complimentary names. For the past 18 months, members of Friends of Clark County and Friends of Central Vancouver have been on a mission to educate residents about issues surrounding the county-owned short line railroad.
In that time, they’ve hosted public forums, mailed thousands of flyers, organized letter writing campaigns, met with city, county and state elected officials, and knocked on doors.
“We have a talented group of people that are working on this that support us,” said member Jan Kelly, a Vancouver resident.
Kelly said the first informational flyer printed went to 3,000 homes.
“We got a few people. They hit the streets, and they were putting them out in the rain, in the snow and the sleet, in the freezing weather. They went out every day until it was done,” Kelly said.
The last flyer was sent to more than 7,600 homes.
“We have seen just an incredible response from people who live in Clark County and care about all sorts of different issues,” said fellow member Mo McKenna. “There are so many ways people are connected to this issue and potentially impacted by it.”
Their efforts seem to be paying off. In March, the Battle Ground City Council unanimously approved an ordinance against expanding the rail zoning overlay. Among the council’s primary concerns were possible impacts to the city’s growth management plan, how increased train traffic would affect property values and property tax revenue, and whether millions of dollars in federal funding to upgrade the rail line would be put to better use elsewhere. The Clark County Railroad Advisory Group paused its discussions about how to move forward with the rail line.
The Friends of Clark County and Friends of Central Vancouver are well-organized groups of residents who come from all walks of life — retired engineers, lawyers, marketing and sales people, teachers and health care workers. The two groups share similar goals. Currently, the main focus is getting the county to end its contract with Portland Vancouver Junction Railroad. Long term, the Friends groups want to prevent the expansion of the existing railroad overlay, prevent the rezoning of any property to heavy or rail industrial zoning, protect agricultural lands and wildlife habitat, and preserve quality of life and access to clean water.
Investigation
Much of the groups’ opposition to Portland Vancouver Junction Railroad, or PVJR, stems from what they say is a history of environmental abuse and negligence, especially in the Chelatchie and Curtin Creek areas.
The railroad is now under investigation by the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, state Department of Ecology, Clark County and other federal and state agencies because of work done by the company in the Chelatchie and Curtin Creek areas. Authorities issued a stop-work order last fall pending the outcome of the investigations.
Eric Temple, president of the railroad, has denied the claims and said the company is committed to “cooperating with these agencies and addressing any concerns they may have.”
Temple has also said the work the railroad is doing falls under the Federal Railroad Administration’s authority and is exempt from state and county laws.
“Part of the success of this is having a lot of subject matter experts to look at various parts of this issue,” McKenna said.
She said that expertise runs from legal advice from attorneys to information from fish and wildlife biologists, watershed hydrologists, public health experts and others.
McKenna said the groups want to see the environmental damage they say was caused by Portland Vancouver Junction Railroad repaired and the causes corrected.
“We want to see a Clark County that is focused on what’s best for the residents who live here,” McKenna said.
Attorney David McDonald has been a self-described community activist since the 1980s. He said there is something special about the Friends groups.
“What I have found, in this particular case, is that we have a group of people across a broad range of socioeconomic positions and political positions, all working together to achieve specific goals,” McDonald said.
Would the group feel differently if the rail line was managed by a different operator? For some things, yes. But for others, like expanding the zoning overlay, perhaps not.
“We believe the railroad operator has never been an economic benefit for this community,” McDonald said.
Does the group see a way the rail line could be a financial benefit to the county?
“I don’t think there’s been enough transparency to answer that question,” McKenna said. “I don’t know that there’s ever been a jobs study or economic development study.”
With the rail line in need of upgrades and repairs, McKenna said it’s hard to see how it could be profitable, but an economic study would be the best way to answer that question.
“I don’t think any of us really are against the railroad,” Kelly said. “We’re against PVJR and their anti-environmental practices.”
Review
Although nothing is currently scheduled, Clark County Councilor Sue Marshall said the county will have to review the recommendations from the advisory group, such as expanding the overlay or rezoning land for rail industrial use, before the growth plan update is finished at the end of 2025.
“At the time, it seemed to be a ways off, but now it seems immediate,” Marshall said.
Within the next few weeks, Marshall said she expects the council to continue its discussion about hiring a consultant to complete implementation of freight rail regulations. The contract was pulled from the March 26 meeting agenda.
“I don’t think anything has changed as far as the councilors’ positions, but we’ll be going through that again,” she said.
