Olympia may be the traditional home for state committee hearings and discussions between city leaders in Washington. This week, Spokane will play host. The talks start with oil train safety, in a hearing with the Spokane city council and state Senate committee on energy, environment, and telecommunications.
The topic is the safety of transporting liquid bulk crude oil, in advance of more and more oil trains traveling through Washington. The meeting is at 10:30 Tuesday morning, and is open to the public, in the city council chambers. On Monday, Spokane Mayor David Condon said that the topic of rail shipments has become his biggest priority.
Condon: “I’m also serving as the co-chair of the Association of Washington Cities ad-hoc rail committee, that is seeking improvements in safety measurements along rail freight corridors throughout the state. I’ll be speaking in that capacity [Tuesday], at the Double Tree Spokane City Center hotel.”
Wednesday through Friday Spokane hosts the Washington Association of Cities annual conference. Condon says city leaders will be among the many presenters.
Condon: “They’ll be sharing our innovative approaches that are getting us to a cleaner river faster, harnessing the technology to advance the local economy, and reducing waste and increasing recycling.”
As part of the conference, there’s also a TEDx speaker series Thursday. Among the presenters, school superintendent Dr. Shelley Redinger will talk about the state Supreme Court decision for the state to fund basic education. This event is closed to the public.
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