Spokane Rail Initiative Drives Pt 2

Spokane Rail Initiative Drives Pt 2

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
I'm Bob Larson. A pair of signature drives for initiatives in Spokane are aimed at stopping the transport of coal or oil through the city, which, in turn, would have an unintended, negative impact on the shipping of farming commodities.

The Washington Farm Bureau's Tom Davis says initiative supporters appear to be playing their "rights" card ...

TOM DAVIS ... "That one was new to me as well, a fundamental right to a healthy climate free from the transportation of coal or crude oil by rail. So, obviously these people have a strong opinion, but again, it bumps up against what federal law requires. And you can imagine, if every jurisdiction across this great country would have a slightly different law or rule on what can be transported through their jurisdiction, it would bring the railroads to their knees. They couldn't function."

Davis says, fortunately for the farming community and others who rely on rail transport, federal law stands in their way ...

TOM DAVIS ... "So, it'll be much like the state income tax the city of Olympia had on its ballot last fall. Even if it had been approved, it couldn't have been implemented because the city doesn't have the authority to implement an income tax. So, it's kind of a continuation of that kind of thinking, almost like a letter to Santa Claus. It may be in the end, this initiative has no bearing, no standing, it just makes people feel better."

Davis says there is no precedence so it's unclear what the courts would say if the measures are approved by voters.

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