Three weeks after proposing an ordinance to fine railroad operators up to $261 per car carrying crude oil or coal through downtown Spokane, the City Council has voted to withdraw the measure.
Supporters cited the certainty of a successful legal challenge to the proposal, and a desire to work with railroads to prevent derailments.
The Spokesman-Review reports that the Spokane City Council voted 5-2 on Monday to withdraw the measure from the November ballot.
City Council President Ben Stuckart, who led the charge with a presentation on July 25 depicting a dozen fiery oil train derailments, said he now believed the fine would expose the citizens to too much legal liability.
“I don’t believe that it’s legally defensible, or defensible for us to bring forward,” Stuckart said Monday evening.
Stuckart said he’d received legal advice from students at the Gonzaga Law School clinic, as well as the council’s policy adviser before changing his mind.