Dear Editor,

I am disappointed the Reader has not done a more critical analysis of BNSF’s enormous Second Bridge project. Safety and congestion issues are just a BNSF public relations ploy on its proposed second bridge across Lake Pend Oreille. Have any of you looked at their draft permit (online) which they are trying to pass off as an environmental assessment? Note the lack of numbers in their document on the following key issues. How can many MORE trains, including volatile Bakken crude oil and tar sands bitumen, ADD to safety? How can MORE trains on TWO tracks, instead of the current one, on the same major crossings in Sandpoint and other communities, add to LESS wait time for motor vehicles? What will the impacts be on Sandpoint from three to five years of construction, including two new bridges in Sandpoint itself? BNSF’s permit application is essentially an engineering plan with no numbers or analysis on any of these important issues.

Constance Albrecht
Sandpoint