By Sean Holstege
The Arizona Republic
A controversial rail-yard proposed near Picacho Peak is gaining support from a handful of local, state and federal politicians who are pressuring the state to sell the land quickly to Union Pacific Corp.
The freight giant wants to build its biggest yard between Los Angeles and Texas along the east side of Interstate 10 on farmland owned by the Arizona State Land Trust. Union Pacific first applied with the Arizona State Land Department to buy the land in 2006.
The application has been stalled — first by Union Pacific, then by the recession. In September, a pair of Land Department reports raised concerns about the plan. While consultants recommended a sale, they also said that the rail yard posed significant environmental and engineering challenges and advised that the touted economic benefits were exaggerated.
On Wednesday, the Pinal County Board of Supervisors voted to send a six-page letter to State Land Commissioner Maria Baier urging her to “quickly move to auction the property at a price that allows the bidder to have a financially feasible project.”
Pinal County Supervisor Pete Rios wrote that the state is relying on a report “that was rife with fallacies, misinformation and long-shot suppositions.” He supports a sale.
Early this month, U.S. Rep. Trent Franks wrote a similar letter to Gov. Jan Brewer. “It would be deeply disappointing if our state cannot act fast enough to capture this opportunity,” Franks wrote, concluding, “I can think of no plausible reason for not taking action.”
And state Senate President-elect Andy Biggs, calling himself “an advocate for this important project,” wrote Baier last month that he is frustrated by how long the auction has taken. He also criticized the consultants’ findings and said, “It is imperative that this auction be scheduled by the end of the year.”
