Here we go again.

One week after Oregon and Washington lawmakers shared a table for the first time in years to discuss replacing the Interstate Bridge, Evergreen State politicians are at loggerheads in public over one of the key issues that torpedoed the Columbia River Crossing project years ago: Light rail.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee says a new Interstate Bridge will include a light rail extension from North Portland, a position he held in 2013 before funding for the Columbia River Crossing project died in his state’s Legislature, and which he reiterated Friday in an interview with The Columbian.

Inslee’s office confirmed Wednesday that his $17.5 million budget request for the 2019-21 biennium to reopen a project office starts with the position that a new bridge “will include light rail and may be partially funded with tolls.” The Democratic governor has consistently advocated for replacing the existing bridge and supported light rail “from the beginning,” a spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday.

On Wednesday, eight Southwest Washington Republicans issued a joint statement saying they were “dismayed” by Inslee’s comments while noting “those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

“The voters of Clark County have had three opportunities to weigh in on light rail, most recently in 2013,” the lawmakers, which included US. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, said in a statement. “Each time, the pro-light rail side of the issue was soundly defeated. We owe it to those we serve to represent their preferences in negotiations over any future I-5 bridge project.”

The Republican elected leaders say “practical politics” dictate the governor should keep transit alternatives other than light rail on the table as bridge talks are expected to heat up in 2019.

Four of the Washington state legislators who signed the letter sit on the bi-state committee which met last week with Oregon officials in attendance for the first time.

That meeting, which lasted for more than two hours, included some tense moments between Oregon and Washington officials.

Some Clark County lawmakers struck a conciliatory tone as they tried to assuage Oregon elected officials that they are ready to discuss a new project in earnest.

There was much talk about process and not agreeing on key facets of the project before the dialogue began in earnest.

Sen. Lee Beyer, D-Springfield, said process was never the sticking point during the failed nearly $3 billion Columbia River Crossing project.

“We haven’t had a lack of process,” Beyer said at the meeting in North Portland last week, “we’ve had a lack of agreement on what to do,” he said.

That lack of agreement still exists in Southwest Washington circles.

Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle, who has been a vocal proponent of restarting bridge talks, has suggested the new bridge should be “light rail ready,” meaning it would have a separated guideway which could be converted to light rail down the line. She suggests the bridge start with high capacity bus service first.

Gov. Kate Brown has said light rail must be part of any new project.

Inslee’s $17.5 million budget proposal stipulates the reinvigorated Interstate Bridge project office would take a look at previous permits on the CRC project, develop a finance plan and reevaluate the “scope, schedule and budget” for the two-state effort.

“When reevaluating the finance plan for the project, the department shall assume that some costs of the new facility may be covered by tolls,” Inslee’s budget note says. “the department shall assume any plan for a new bridge will include light rail.”

Washington’s Legislature, which is controlled by Democrats in both chambers, will release its own budget proposals starting next month.

Under Inslee’s plan, the state would provide an updated progress report on the bridge plan by September 30, 2019.

Oregon and Washington must show the federal government progress toward revived bridge discussions by that same month or pay back $139 million in planning costs accrued through the failed CRC project.

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen