Assembly approves North Coast Railroad Authority bill 9/8/2007 The North Coast Railroad Authority will reallocate $5.5 million in reserves toward purposes such as environmental cleanup, maintenance and establishing quiet zones in the city of Novato and other locations. The state Assembly voted 44-28 on Friday to approve the legislation by Sen. Pat Wiggins (D-Santa Rosa). The bill will now go to the state Senate before it can be sent to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for his consideration. “It is critical to restore freight and passenger rail service on the North Coast,” Wiggins said. “The return of rail service would be a major boost for the economy, lessen the burden of traffic and eminence on Highway 101 and provide new opportunities for the Port of Humboldt Bay.” The NCRA is a public/private railroad created by the Legislature in 1990 to preserve rail service on the North Coast between Humboldt Bay and the National Rail Interchange in Napa County. “This rail line has historically played a significant role in the transportation infrastructure of a region of the state — the North Coast — which suffers from restricted access and limited transport options,” Wiggins said. Specifically, the funds will be split three ways. Environmental cleanup will be allotted $3.5 million, $1 million will be allocated for administrative expenses related to environmental remediation, and $1 million will establish “quiet zones” in Novato and other locations. The state did not provide any operational funding to carry out the mandate until 2000, with the enactment of the Traffic Congestion Relief Program. The funds had been set aside for the NCRA to repay a federal loan, but the loan was forgiven in 2005. “Because the federal loan was forgiven, this bill redirects the use of these funds for the NCRA to address a court-mandated environmental cleanup and to address emergency maintenance issues,” Wiggins said.
