MONTANA, Sep 21 2012 (Neo Natura) - On an average day, 15 trains pass through Billings, about a third of them going to or from Powder River Basin coal mines.

According to Fran Marceau, Montana AFL-CIO District 1, Bigfork, "It’s about double that in Missoula, where the crossing on Madison Avenue is near the rail yard and trains come in very slowly, said Lynda Frost, spokeswoman and assistant to the president of Montana Rail Link."

The company says its goal is to block crossing for no more than 10 minutes at a time.

Nothing stirs debate about increased numbers of trains as much as the prospect of more traffic tie-ups at major crossings like 27th Street in Billings.

“I’ve been knocking on doors on the South Side and talking to people about this very issue,” said Rep. Robyn Driscoll, a Democrat who is campaigning to retain her seat in House District 51. “They don’t want any increase at all. The issue of access is huge, and it’s been going on forever.”

Complaints about rail traffic probably started piling up soon after tracks were laid in 1882. The railroad that built the city and keeps it humming even today also serves as a dividing line.

Proposals for six new export terminals in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia were advanced that would load ships headed for Asia. Montana, with some of the largest coal reserves in the world, wants to be a player in that market. 

One potential contender, Grays Harbor at Hoquiam, Wash., dropped its plans in August.

No U.S. Pacific Coast ports ship coal now. Coal is exported through three Canadian facilities.

If it can get all necessary approvals, Gateway Pacific Terminal could export between 25 million and 54 million metric tons of coal each year, making it the largest coal port on the Pacific coast. (A metric ton equals 1,000 kilograms, or about 2,204 pounds.) Millennium Bulk Terminal could handle 25 million metric tons in its first phase and a total of 44 million tons, if a second phase is completed.

Before anything can happen, there are major hurdles to overcome, including permits from local, state and federal agencies.

Most daunting is gaining authorization from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The process includes an environmental impact statement.

That’s where the current coal train controversy arises. To get coal to the terminals from the Powder River Basin, coal trains will travel more than 1,000 miles through hundred of communities scattered in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Washington.

Many of them — more the farther west you go — want the Corps of Engineers to extend the EIS to study effects not just at the ports, but the impacts of increasing train traffic all the way back to the mines.

 Congestion is not caused by coal. When the economy improves there will be an increased number of trains carrying lumber, grain and automobiles which could all add to congestion. Railroads should be approached about constructing overpasses and underpasses and other means to eliminate congestion that may be caused by projected traffic increases.

The railroad right-of-way stands between Montana and Minnesota avenues in downtown Billings. Each train clogs vehicle traffic on North 27th, 28th and 29th streets for an average of 4 minutes, 34 seconds.

“Those terminals are going to be key to the Montana coal industry,” said Todd O’Hair, senior manager for government affairs at Cloud Peak. “It’s a small window of opportunity. It’s been 30 years since we’ve had this kind of opportunity to increase coal production.”

Whether Montana can grab a larger piece of the action depends on construction of new terminals. No one expects all six to be built. Just two are in the initial stages of pursuing permits — Gateway Pacific Terminal at Cherry Point near Bellingham, Wash., and Millennium Bulk Terminal at Longview, Wash.