Billionaire and candy bar king Forrest Mars buys share of Tongue River Railroad

Billionaire Forrest E. Mars Jr. has reached an agreement with BNSF Railway Co. and coal giant Arch Coal to buy a third of the Tongue River Railroad.

The candy bar and pet food mogul said the purchase would prevent the construction of the proposed railway along a major stretch of the Tongue River Valley in southeastern Montana.

In a July 18 letter to Ed Gulick, chairman of the conservation group Northern Plains Resource Council, Mars said he no longer would help fund ongoing or future litigation related to the controversial 130-mile-long railroad, which would transport coal from Montana to power plants in the Midwest and beyond.

Full Story: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20110721/NEWS01/107210303/Billionaire-buys-share-railroad