BILLINGS, Mont. – The Tongue River Railroad Company (TRR) today requested that the Surface Transportation Board (STB) temporarily suspend permitting efforts for the construction and operation of its proposed rail line along the Tongue River in southeast Montana.
“This announcement will ensure a happy Thanksgiving for landowners whose property stands to be cut apart if the Tongue River Railroad is ever built,” said Jeanie Alderson, Vice Chair of Northern Plains Resource Council and a fourth-generation Tongue River rancher. “Pressured by the specter of their land being condemned, this ‘breathing room’ will be more than welcome by the families who have simply wanted to be left alone to raise our families and do our work.”
Northern Plains has been fighting the proposed Tongue River Railroad for the past 39 years.
According to its press release, the TRR Company filed a formal request with the STB to place the project on hold because of ongoing delays in the mine permitting process for the Otter Creek mine, which would be served by the TRR. The TRR Company concluded that it would be more economical and more prudent to wait until there is further clarity on the issuance of the mining permit by Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) before proceeding with railroad permitting efforts.
“The TRR’s announcement reflects the instability of this project and the coal mine it aims to service. The coal markets are weak and the biggest companies in those markets are getting weaker every year,” Alderson said.
“With Arch Coal – a principal owner of the TRR – expected to declare bankruptcy in the coming weeks, it’s no shock that the railroad’s other owners would want to push the ‘Pause’ button on this project. I think it’s smart that TRR is finally paying attention to the lack of viability of the Otter Creek coal mine.”
