SPOKANE — The Spokane City Council is thinking of fining railroad companies that ship crude oil or coal through downtown Spokane.
The companies would be fined hundreds of dollars for each train car under a law the City Council will consider placing on the November ballot.
The Spokesman-Review says the proposed law would make such shipments a civil infraction punishable by a fine of up to $261 for each train car.
The Spokane City Council earlier this summer condemned Union Pacific Railroad for resuming the transport of crude oil through Mosier, Oregon, following the derailment of a train that had passed through Spokane hours earlier.
The City Council will vote Monday on whether to add a law that would authorize fines for oil and coal train operators to the November ballot.
