Battle Ground City Council is considering adopting a resolution declaring its opposition to the Chelatchie Freight Rail expansion plans in Brush Prairie.
After discussing the matter and hearing residents’ concerns at its Monday, March 4, meeting, the council will likely pass a resolution at its next meeting protesting the project, although the measure would not carry any weight on its future.
The Chelatchie Prairie Railroad, owned by Clark County, runs from Vancouver to the county’s northeast. The railroad’s tracks cut through Main Street within Battle Ground. The railroad is currently operated by Portland Vancouver Junction Railroad (PVJR), which has faced scrutiny for its current railroad extension project in the Chelatchie area. The project entails expanding Chelatchie Yard and allow for industrial uses along the Chelatchie Prairie Railroad.
Currently, the project is on hold as the company faces environmental challenges. In November 2023, the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers issued a violation to PVJR for violating the Clean Water Act during its construction process.
Battle Ground Mayor Troy McCoy, who is a member of the Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board, raised the issue of PVJR plans for the railroad expansion at the recent meeting after hearing concerns about the project allegedly killing salmon in the Chelatchie area.
The county-owned railroad has faced scrutiny from locals. McCoy is concerned that the industrial overlay in Brush Prairie will lead to heavy industrial use of the railroad in the future that will negatively impact Battle Ground.
“...Originally this [project] was going to be about 400 acres in Brush Prairie, zoned light industrial, and my concern is that it’s just mission creep,” McCoy said. “It’s now heavy industrial, and recent comments from some members of the [Clark County] council want to extend that overlay up to Amboy.”
The overlay is located directly west of state Route 503 in Brush Prairie, south of Battle Ground city limits. Under the county’s decision, roughly 400 acres of land would be zoned for heavy industrial business. At the March 4 council meeting, residents shared concerns the changes in railroad usage will negatively impact the city.
Mark Leed, chair of the local Woo Lit environmental advocacy group, spoke against the environmental impacts the overlay would have. The railroad’s close proximity to Glenwood Heights Primary School and Laurin Middle School greatly concerned Leed.
“The only type of heavy-industrial use that is off the table at this point is for oil refineries. Any of these factories being built right up to the sports fields of those schools would pose a potential hazard of noise, air quality and traffic safety concerns,” Leed said. “The CASEE Center and Summit View school could also be impacted.”
David Terry, a Battle Ground resident, worried increased air pollution would affect his neighbors who live on the east side of the train tracks that cut through Main Street, as well as longer trains impacting traffic.
“Some of those very long trains are gonna block emergency responders that have to get to somebody’s house,” Terry said. “The tracks are going to be full, and eventually a death is going to be caused or some serious health issues from this.”
Terry said the increased use of the train tracks could decrease the quality of life and property value for residents who live near the area.
“I have to ask, who benefits from this project? Well the mining companies do, the railroad might, but it seems like no one else is benefitting from this,” Terry said. “The county’s not benefitting. The City of Battle Ground certainly isn’t benefiting. It seems like we have a lot of skin in this game in terms of loss.”
Councilor Eric Overholser said that, while he is opposed to heavy industrial overlay, the railroad could also positively impact Battle Ground if PVJR uses it for scenic uses, as well, which was previously discussed by Clark County Council.
The council agreed to adopt the resolution against the rail plans at its March 18 meeting.
“To me, it’s just a slap in the face that the county would say ‘oh, this is great for everybody,’ and ‘oh, by the way, Battle Ground, it’s coming through. It’s no tax base for you.’ It’s just noise pollution, danger, you name it,” McCoy said.
