Regarding Michael McGinley’s letter (“Railroad hazards are overstated,” Our Readers’ Views, March 1), he should have done even a little research first (it isn’t the “Port of Vancouver railway,” and it is hardly integrated into our economy). He lives far from the rail, so faces none of the risks. Many homes and a couple of schools are adjacent to the rail, and until the 2017 legislation there was never any risk of heavy industrial development in their neighborhoods.
The operator intends much more than rock delivery and has said so. He intends to use eminent domain to run spurs through neighborhoods as needed. The tracks run right through downtown Battle Ground, where train traffic would be extremely disruptive.
Finding out more about what is going on with the rail is not difficult, and it is not the case that the only new cargo is to be quarried rock. That much is public information. The operator has asked the county to, with no public hearings, rezone all property along the 33-mile line to heavy industrial. At least one councilor agreed.
Others have done considerable research and pored through thousands of pages of documents. The facts support our concerns.
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