At this week’s meeting of the King County Metropolitan Council, councilmembers:
• Unanimously approved an ordinance that will bring the 42-mile Burlington Northern Santa Fe Eastside Rail Corridor into public ownership, and allow the county to purchase a 26-mile trail easement for hiking and biking. Under the agreement, the Port of Seattle will pay $107 million to BNSF Railway to acquire the 42-mile Eastside rail corridor, and King County will pay the Port $1.9 million for a 26-mile easement that runs from Renton to Woodinville and includes the segment known as the “Redmond Spur.”
• Unanimously approved an ordinance approving the September 2008 public transportation service improvements for King County.
• Unanimously approved a motion requesting a study for ways King County could provide charging stations for a new generation of hybrids called Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) and Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) in an effort to help reduce the county’s carbon footprint.
• Unanimously adopted a motion supporting the withdrawal of federal funds for the Airbus tanker and endorsing a new competitive contract for the building of certain military hardware.
