http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/economy/article_92d07790-7d3e-11e1-9647-001a4bcf887a.html

AMANDA RICKER
Chronicle Staff Writer

Today, an average of 15 trains pass through Bozeman every 24 hours.

In the future, another 40 trains may be added, said Beth Kaeding of the Northern Plains Resource Council, a conservation group based in Billings.

Increased sales of Wyoming and Montana coal from the Powder River Basin to Asian markets will result in more trains traveling from the basin to Northwest seaports, Kaeding said.

“So, what that means for Bozeman, and all the towns around the rail lines, is that coal train traffic is going to significantly increase,” she said.

Northern Plains has been holding conferences in cities across the state to discuss the issue.

However, Lynda Frost, spokeswoman for Montana Rail Link, which operates the railroad through Bozeman, said MRL isn’t expecting a significant increase in coal trains any time soon.

“Taking into consideration that there are a number of factors involved that could result in an increase in coal traffic, it could easily take as long as 10 years before a notable increase in coal traffic could be seen,” Frost wrote in an email to the Chronicle.

In Bozeman, rail lines run under Interstate 90 across North Rouse Avenue and past homes and businesses north of Front Street. The tracks pass the Village Downtown condominiums before heading out of town.

The railroad “is the northern boundary of our neighborhood,” said Chris Nixon, president of the Northeast Neighborhood Association, which represents about 1,300 homes and businesses.

Nixon said it seems like there has already been an increase in train traffic.

Kaeding said coal companies working in the Powder River Basin plan to ship 110 million tons of coal to Asia by 2015 if enough coal export facilities are built on the West Coast.

The Powder River Basin is one of the largest coal reserves in the world. And while coal use is declining in power plants in the United States, countries like China are using more and more of the fossil fuel, Kaeding said.

She said more trains rumbling through Bozeman would mean more pollution from diesel fumes and coal dust, increased traffic congestion, delays in emergency response and additional noise. Each coal train consists of 120 to 125 cars and stretches more than a mile long, Kaeding said.

Addressing some of Kaeding’s concerns, Frost said noise from more trains would be minimal because the trains travel at 60 mph. And Frost said coal dust has been reduced by 85 percent by using a modified loading chute and applying a surfactant to wet the surface of the coal.

Northern Plains will hold a public informational meeting on the issue at 7 p.m. April 26 in the large conference room at the Bozeman Public Library.

Panelists will include Kaeding; Clint McRae, a landowner near Colstrip who will talk about the impacts to the land and agriculture; Dr. Richard Damon, a retired doctor who will talk about health concerns; and Public Service Commissioner John Vincent, who will talk about alternative energy solutions.

Kaeding is also scheduled to present information to the Bozeman City Commission on April 16. And she will talk to members of the Northeast Neighborhood Association from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. April 18 at City Hall.

Amanda Ricker can be reached at aricker@dailychronicle.com or 582-2628.

http://helenair.com/news/local/a-convergence-of-coal/article_d730757c-7bc0-11e1-9858-0019bb2963f4.html

Asian demand, future needs could add 20-30 120-car trains, coming and going through Helena, daily

By SANJAY TALWANI

The number of freight trains loaded with coal that pass through Helena could significantly grow in the next several years, thanks to the planned development of new ports on the West Coast with an eye on the abundant coal of eastern Montana and Wyoming.

The Northern Plains Resource Council estimates demand from Asian markets at the new ports could mean 20 to 30 additional fully loaded 120-car coal trains each day coming from Montana, and the same number of empty trains traveling the other direction.

That means more noise, diesel fumes and traffic delays, as well as increased response times for emergency vehicles, say critics of the traffic.

It’s unclear how such an increase would be distributed between the state’s two main rail routes from coal country, through Helena and Great Falls.

Now, Montana Rail Link averages five coal trains per day through Helena (half full, half empty) out of about 15 trains a day total, said a spokeswoman.

“It’s just going to be that much worse, when the number of trains increases,” said Eric Regensberger, who as representative of the Midtown-Sixth Ward Neighborhood Association fought in favor of a “quiet zone” for trains through town. “When you account for all the intersections and four whistles per intersection, it adds up.”

An engineering study on the quiet zone last year pegged the possible costs at $130,000 to $980,000 for the safety upgrades necessary if trains cut back on their use of loud horns.

“The general desire to have a quiet zone will just increase with increased train traffic,” he said.

The Sleeping Giant Citizens Council, an affiliate of the Northern Plains Resource Council, is holding a public forum on the issue April 25 at 6:30 p.m., at the Gateway Center, 1710 National Ave. (For more information, call NPRC at (406) 248-1154.)

The council’s apprehensions about the traffic come as developers in Washington and Oregon seek permits for ports that the NPRC says combined could eventually export as much as 150 million tons of coal annually. At the same time, demand from coal-fired powered plants in the American Midwest has been dropping, said Shiloh Hernandez of the Sleeping Giant Citizens Council.

Hernandez said more trains means more likelihood of accidents and derailments, danger to property valued near the tracks.

“It would be a significant disruption to the flow of life in the town,” he said.

He said there may have to be upgrades of lights and barriers and other infrastructure at crossings — maybe even new underpasses or overpasses, and he said government officials need to make sure the taxpayers are not stuck with the bill for such improvements.

Lynda Frost, a Montana Rail Link spokeswoman, said the rail company pays for its own infrastructure upgrades and that the rail line did not anticipate increases in coal traffic in the next year.

She said the coal dust releases from rail cars have been reduced by 85 percent by using a modified loading chute and applying certain substances on the coal.

Lewis and Clark County Commission Chairman Derek Brown and Helena City Commissioner Matt Elsaesser both said there have been no formal local government discussions about the potential increase. Elsaesser has also been working with Montana Rail Link on the development of the Centennial Trail through town.

County Sheriff Leo Dutton said there are multiple routes to most places in the valley, and emergency responders already consider the possibility of blocked railroad crossings when they travel. If there’s a delay, they can take Henderson Street or Interstate 15 into the north valley.

Trains are allowed to block traffic for a maximum of 15 minutes, he said.

Possibly problematic could be unexpected trains at the crossings at Head Lane and Birdseye Road, for example.

“Having the advantage to know that the road’s blocked would be critical,” he said. “But that doesn’t exist right now.”