Mendocino Railway, also known as the Skunk Train, asked federal regulators to allow it to purchase 13 miles of track. The Surface Transportation Board found Thursday afternoon that the company “has not demonstrated financial responsibility.”
The involvement of the Coastal Commission, which wields great power over land-use regulation and environmental protection on the coast, escalates a fight over land seen as critical to Fort Bragg’s future.
Mendocino Railway, also known as the Skunk Train, is suing a Willits landowner for 20 acres it says it wants to use for maintenance and to improve its freight-hauling capacities.