PCC Rail Authority seeks stimulus funds
Washington Ag Today September 28, 2009 The intergovernmental group that helps oversee the state owned Palouse River and Coulee City Railroad is seeking federal stimulus funds. Washington Grain Commission vice-president Glen Squires says the PCC Rail Authority has applied for 42 million dollars in what are called TIGER grants, Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grants. Squires: “They are hoping to be able to get to increase the viability of the line, bring sections up to 25 miles an hour. Some of it to 15 miles an hour. The purpose of it is just to bring those short lines back into condition where they can move grain and other commodities.” Squires says if the Rail Authority receives the grant the funds would help further the rehabilitation work currently underway with 8.6 million dollars from the Washington State Department of Transportation. Governor Chris Gregoire has endorsed the DOT’s request for TIGER grant funding for three major highway projects as well as a request by the city of Seattle, but she did not provide a letter of endorsement for the PCC Rail Authority’s application. Cooperative’s Working Together has completed it’s 8th round of dairy herd reductions, the second this year. Two dairies from Washington participated in the round, one in Enumclaw and one in Mt. Vernon. CWT’s program has removed 226 thousand dairy cows from the nation’s herd this year in an effort to help financially troubled milk producers. I’m Bob Hoff and that’s Washington Ag Today on the Northwest Ag Information Network.
