Spokane Rail Initiative Drives Pt 1

Spokane Rail Initiative Drives Pt 1

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
I'm Bob Larson. Signature gathering has begun in Spokane on a pair of initiatives that could cause significant problems for the state's farming community ...

TOM DAVIS ... "You know, there was the initiative filed back in 2016 that would amend the municipal code, and then another one that was filed here, I guess a month or so ago, that would amend the city charter. They're different, but the end goal of each is to stop the shipment of fossil fuels, coal and oil, through the city of Spokane."

The Washington Farm Bureau's Tom Davis says those same railroads are important to the Ag community, which is why the laws are set up the way they are ...

TOM DAVIS ... "And in both cases, the hearing examiner has stated that local jurisdictions can't implement laws like this. Federal law has preemption authority, which means federal law trumps anything that local jurisdictions can do when it comes to movement of freight by rail. And you know the railroads, for us here in Washington, us meaning the agricultural community, they're essential to our farm and ranch families. So, anything like this that could potentially disrupt the flow of rail freight is of concern to us."

Davis says the Spokane County Hearing Examiner has declared both measures unenforceable.

Listen tomorrow to hear the reasoning behind these two initiatives and the implications.

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