Local lawmakers who believe deregulation along Chelatchie Prairie Railroad is key to new economic possibilities hop onboard to observe locations first hand
Two local lawmakers got a chance to be a train engineer during an Aug. 8 excursion on the Chelatchie Prairie Railroad where the economic opportunities along the short line rail were put on display. 
Clark County Councilor Julie Olson and Washington State Sen. Lynda Wilson, both Republicans, joined representatives of Portland Vancouver Junction Railroad (PVJR), the operators of the county-owned Chelatchie Prairie, for a train ride along a stretch of the rail being looked at for industrial development. Wilson introduced ESB 5517 in 2017, a bill which allows for that type of development along short lines in Clark and Okanogan counties, and following its passage Olson and other members of Clark County Council have been working on how that legislation will look in terms of its implementation locally.