According to the AP [1], yesterday an environmental group joined the effort to protect the Katy Trail from Governor Blunt's reckless assault on it.
An environmental group has entered the legal fray over an old Katy railroad bridge, contending that plans to tear it down could jeopardize the existence of Katy Trail State Park.
A lawsuit filed on behalf of bicyclists by the St. Louis-based Great Rivers Environmental Law Center seeks to block Union Pacific from dismantling the bridge and prevent Gov. Matt Blunt’s administration from relinquishing the state’s interest in the 73-year-old structure.
Sadly, the Blunt administration continues to make false public statements about the legal situation involving the Katy Trail.
“There is absolutely no substance to the argument that the removal of that bridge could create a severance of the trail,” said Kurt Schaefer, DNR’s deputy director and general counsel.
But according to public reports [2], DNR is in possession of legal advice, paid for with taxpayer dollars that directly contradicts the public statements of Blunt administration officials:
The department also had contracted with attorney Charles Montagne to provide legal advice on preserving the bridge. In January, Montagne issued a memo that said removing the bridge would threaten the corridor that was being banked for possible future railroad use, and in the interim being used as a recreational trail.
They can say they disagree with the advice of their own lawyers, but they shouldn't be able to make the argument that this is some sort of political attack, given that their own lawyers raised the same legal concern.
Why hasn't there been any public pressure on the Blunt administration to release that memo? The press is really letting them off the hook on this one.
For additional background on the Katy Trail matter, click here [3]. Thus far, over 2,300 Missourians [4] have signed the Fired Up! petition urging Governor Blunt to rescind his giveaway to the Union Pacific. If you would like to sign, click here [5].