fbpx

Why it’s Hard to Believe BNSF

By Kellyn Brown

Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railway was hoping to clear the air last week when it told a group of prominent Whitefish politicians and business owners – oh, and Gov. Brian Schweitzer – that a large swath of the fastest-growing city in the state is habitable. But instead of appeasing those who have watched their property values drop and feared that their soil may sit on top of an oily plume, the railroad giant dug itself into a deeper toxic hole.

The company feared getting sued, BNSF Vice President Charles Shewmake more or less told the crowd gathered at Whitefish’s Depot Park near what once was a fueling station blamed for the dubious seepage. Shewmake went on to reassure everyone that it’s safe to live near the tracks and his company has changed its mind and now really wants to be forthcoming about its recent real estate transactions.

While those at the hastily scheduled meeting appreciated Shewmake’s candor, they told him that they would conduct their own soil tests and might sue his company anyway. And, really, who can blame them? BNSF’s undercover real estate operation couldn’t have come at a worse time, especially for those who border the few properties that BNSF has already purchased.

Speculation and rumors spread fast in small towns like Whitefish. And BNSF’s interest in buying the properties derailed at least one major project, Bill Kahle’s Conductor’s Row development, and likely muddled a handful of others. The railway district is essential to the town’s future growth; it’s an attractive mixed-use neighborhood a stone’s throw away from downtown. In this economy, it certainly didn’t need BNSF spooking jittery investors.

Now, the neighborhood is in limbo, and BNSF’s response to the problem it created is rather weak. The railroad said it will make a public relations push by running some advertisements and creating a Web site to let everyone know that what lies beneath the railway district properties, many of which were recently renovated or built, is just plain-old dirt.

That, however, will do little to quell fears when the company’s answers continue to raise more questions.

Is the neighborhood safe? BNSF says it is, but why then did it go on this buying binge in the first place when pollutants near the tracks have been known about for years. What, exactly, set the company off?

Shewmake pointed to Montana’s “unique litigation” conditions and cited a 2007 case where the town of Sunburst was awarded $41 million from Texaco after the Montana Supreme Court ruled against the oil giant for spilling gas at its former refinery there.

But what are BNSF’s plans for the three homes it has already bought and the few more it plans to close on? Whether they are abandoned or razed will matter little to those who own the neighboring real estate and must worry if their values are plummeting.

BNSF being upfront now hasn’t brought any type of closure to the Whitefish neighborhood. Along with private citizens, the Department of Environmental Quality will be taking its own soil tests. The nearby Whitefish River will also be tested.

The lack of transparency is a public relations disaster for the railroad company, which is an integral part of the town’s storied history. And along with distrust, BNSF is also likely to get sued anyway.

“Whitefish is safe,” Shewmake declared.

Too bad there is no reason for anyone in the railway district to believe him.