By now, news of the impending threat of coal trains coming to town has spread far and wide. Municipalities from Sonoma to Humboldt have passed resolutions opposing the storage, transportation, and/or export of coal through their communities. Senator Mike McGuire introduced legislation, SB 307, to help stop the proposal by prohibiting state funding to improve … Read more
Hi Friends, Coal interests are moving to seize the North Coast Railroad Authority’s rail line in a scheme to ship coal to Asia out of Humboldt Bay. Such an operation would present profound threats to public health and to North Coast ecosystems, especially Humboldt Bay and the Eel River. Nor can the Earth’s atmosphere absorb … Read more
A shadowy shell corporation is threatening our future with an apparent proposal to purchase the Northwestern Pacific rail line, kill the dream of the Great Redwood Trail, and ultimately export coal to Asia from Humboldt Bay. Tune in to hear your friends from Friends of the Eel River, Humboldt Baykeeper, and EPIC discuss the … Read more
Friends of the Eel River has been confronting the North Coast Railroad Authority (NCRA) for many years over the agency’s plans to rebuild the failed rail line1 from Humboldt Bay to the San Francisco Bay area through the spectacular but unstable and vulnerable Eel River Canyon2. At the heart of this dispute is the Environmental … Read more
Video from our hearing at the California Supreme Court on May 4 challenging the North Coast Railroad Authority’s refusal to conduct thorough environmental review is now available. A decision is required within 90 days of the hearing, we anticipate a decision may be published in early July. Listen to our June 1 EcoNews Report on KHSU or … Read more
A case before the California Supreme Court over a freight railroad in the northwestern reaches of the state has drawn the attention of agricultural organizations in the central San Joaquin Valley, but not because they have a particular stake in trains running through Santa Rosa, Ukiah and Eureka. The Farm Bureaus in Madera and Merced counties last … Read more
Though humans have lived along the bountiful shores and rivers of the far North Coast for tens of thousands of years, the span of our now-dominant civilization’s history here has only begun to exceed a century and a half. Looking particularly at the environmental history of the Eel River, it’s striking that some of the … Read more
For Immediate Release Patty Clary Californians for Alternatives to Toxics (CATs) 707.834.4833 Scott Greacen Friends of the Eel River (FOER) 707.502.4555 California Supreme Court to Review North Coast Railroad Lawsuit Conflicting appellate court decisions create uncertainty regarding environmental assessments required of High Speed Rail and other publicly owned railroads The state’s highest … Read more
Read the full report prepared by BST Associates and The Burgel Rail Group on behalf of the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District. Rail service to Humboldt County will require a major investment, through either a new East- West rail alignment or through reconstruction of the former North-South line. In order for this investment to be financially … Read more