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Oregon lawmakers want rail service field hearing
Friday, July 25, 2008 | No comments posted.
Oregon’s congressional delegation and its governor have called on the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to hold a field hearing in Oregon on the proposed abandonment of the Coos Bay rail line.
In a joint letter Wednesday, Sens. Gordon Smith and Ron Wyden requested the hearing to give local businesses and community officials a chance to express their concerns about the loss of rail service.
The same day, Rep. Peter DeFazio and Gov. Ted Kulongoski made similar requests in a separate letter, asking that a meeting be held in Eugene.
An STB spokesman said such a meeting is possible, though the board generally takes public comments through written testimony. No meeting has been scheduled, and the spokesman could not provide a timeline for when a decision would be made.
The operator of the line, Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad, filed an application July 14 to abandon the line. CORP discontinued rail service west of Vaughn in September 2007, citing safety concerns with three tunnels.
In a joint letter Wednesday, Sens. Gordon Smith and Ron Wyden requested the hearing to give local businesses and community officials a chance to express their concerns about the loss of rail service.
The same day, Rep. Peter DeFazio and Gov. Ted Kulongoski made similar requests in a separate letter, asking that a meeting be held in Eugene.
An STB spokesman said such a meeting is possible, though the board generally takes public comments through written testimony. No meeting has been scheduled, and the spokesman could not provide a timeline for when a decision would be made.
The operator of the line, Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad, filed an application July 14 to abandon the line. CORP discontinued rail service west of Vaughn in September 2007, citing safety concerns with three tunnels.
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