Spokane voters rejected a proposal that would have fined certain coal and oil trains traveling through downtown.
Proposition 2 was failing with only 41 percent of votes cast in favor of the measure, which had been criticized as illegal and potentially embroiling the city in costly legal battles.
The initiative began life as a proposal before the City Council last summer. At the time, City Council President Ben Stuckart said he was spurred to action following the destruction in Mosier, Oregon, following the fiery derailment of a train carrying Bakken crude oil that had passed through downtown Spokane a few hours before.