A collaborative application to secure state transportation money to reopen the railroad lines from Samoa to South Fork and to keep Humboldt Bay’s dangerous bar entrance clear of sediment is headed to Sacramento.

Elected representatives of the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District and North Coast Railroad Authority both approved this week plans to send a joint grant application for $19 million to the California Transportation Commission.

Referred to as the California Northern Freight Corridor Restoration Project, the dual agency proposal aims to provide improved rail and port service, relieve congestion on northern California highways, boost the Port of Humboldt Bay’s shipping capability and reduce future congestion at other California ports.

The project continued the growing debate between die-hard port and railroad advocates and environmentalists and other residents who have lingering doubts that a railroad connection through the Eel River Canyon is appropriate or even possible.

“We have a clash of visions, which is unfortunate,” said Pete Oringer, a self-described smart-growth advocate and Harbor District strategic planning committee member.

While he acknowledged the application did have some of the flaws critics of the plan raised, Oringer said provisions were in place to remedy them by the agencies’ staff.

As was the case on Wednesday during the NCRA’s meeting in Eureka where seven of nine board of director approved the plan, a large turnout of residents packed the Supervisors’ chambers Thursday to voice their concerns or offer their support for the plan.

Several residents and two Harbor District commissioners raised considerable doubt that the application for grant funding under the state’s Proposition 1B’s Trade Corridors Improvement Fund was even appropriate.

The $2 billion pool of money is targeted for infrastructure improvements along federally designated “trade corridors of national significance” in California or along other corridors within this state that have a high volume of freight movement, according to CTC information.

Echoing criticism from those who said the NCRA hasn’t demonstrated that there is anything to ship by rail and that restoring the railroad from Samoa to South Fork is fiscally viable, rail to trail advocate and GreenWheels member Chris Rall said he opposed the plan.

Citing a previous study looking at the Eureka-Arcata corridor, Rall said it would only cost $5 million to quickly convert the railroad to a trail between the cities that could attract non-vehicular commuters.

“We could have something now that we could do,” Rall said.

Rall said the “rail banking” plan would still allow the NCRA to restore the railroad at a later time.

Marcus Brown, president of the Timber Heritage Association, spoke in support of the grant proposal and its potential for helping getting a tourist train up and running.

“This is the first ray of hope I have seen in years,” Brown said.

But he told the commissioners he was bothered by the anti-train people who say the railroad isn’t viable, but also those who interfere with the efforts of those who try to make things happen.

“Either way we are screwed,” Brown said.

What did get unanimous support from the commissioners was the need to remedy the shoaling problem at the mouth of the bay that adds to already treacherous wave conditions for fishermen and other vessels.

Stating he was strongly in favor of the portion of the grant proposal to remedy the shoaling problem, Harbor District Commissioner Mike Wilson pitched an unsuccessful motion to separate the two agencies’ different projects.

Commissioner Hunter declined to accept Wilson motion, stating the application was made stronger through the partnership with the NCRA for a project that offered an opportunity to deal with the shoaling issue

“Safety is a real factor and I’ll take the state’s money to do it,” Hunter said.

The Harbor District board voted to approve the application in a 3-2 vote, with commissioners Roy Curless, Dennis Hunter and Ronnie Pellegrini voting in favor and commissioners Pat Higgins and Wilson voting against.

As did Higgins, Wilson said he had concerns and doubts about the application — particularly with the NCRA’s proposal to revive the northern stretch of railroad.

Wilson said he worried about the impacts to the district’s credibility for being tied to the NCRA’s effort seeking congestion relief grant funding for a project that seemed to go in the opposite direction of the grant’s intent by adding freight service for an estimated 6,000 rail cars annually.

“How can it be tied to congestion relief?” Wilson asked.

Wilson said it was bizarre that the Harbor District was being asked to approve a grant with the NCRA seeking millions for railroad infrastructure improvements, when the NCRA’s operator Northwestern Pacific Railroad Co.
hadn’t even identified what was proposed to be moved in the 6,000 cars.

NWP President John Williams said Friday in a telephone interview that he hasn’t done a complete business plan yet, but that he has talked over the past year with numerous shippers in the area about the potential for transporting river aggregate, logs and other bulk by rail as the NCRA’s operator.

“I do believe there is a need and a demand for a railroad if we can get it back in shape,” Williams said.

While he said he is certain he can make a profit, Williams said the issue comes down to the chicken and egg analogy.

While he has committed to bearing half of the cost for the substantial amount of deferred maintenance to get the service running, he is relying on the public to kick in the other half to restore the tracks back to the condition they were in when the NCRA took over the line.

NCRA Executive Director Mitch Stogner told the commissioners that the NCRA was applying for the money to fix 62 miles of track between Samoa and South Fork, which was similar to the repair work being done on the agency’s southern line to replace railroad ties, ballast and 54 traffic signals.

Stogner said that work is moving forward despite the city of Novato’s legal challenge to halt the repair work over allegations the NCRA failed to adequately address environmental review process.

“We realize it is a long shot,” Stogner told the commissioners. “If the North Coast is denied it will be par for the course.”

In response to whether the grant is appropriate for the Prop 1B funds, Harbor District Chief Executive Director David Hull said the application does meet some of the grant criteria and that the CTC has made it clear that it is willing to fund integrated corridor projects statewide.

And if the district followed every grant opportunity to exact letter of their applications, Hull said it wouldn’t be able to apply for anything.

“But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be trying for these,” Hull said.

Representing Evergreen Pulp Inc., Virginia Bass said the company supported the joint plan as a way to prevent shipping draft restrictions by bar pilots caused by sediment shoaling at the harbor entrance that significantly affect its pulp-shipping business, which sees as much as 12,000 tons of pulp exported per month.