Pass-Through Towns Want A Voice In Coal Exports

Allison Roberts News

CAMAS, Wash. — Karen Hall smiles broadly from behind a tall wooden reception desk as an older couple walks through the doors of her tiny, elegantly decorated bed and breakfast.

“You need to check in?” she says, reaching for their luggage. “Let me get you settled. Have you been here before?”

It’s not just their first visit to Hall’s Camas Hotel, the couple tells her. It’s the couple’s first visit to Camas, a small community along the Columbia River. They heard about it by word of mouth, a sign that the town is succeeding at building a reputation as a tourist destination.

But some residents worry Camas could develop a new reputation: as a pass-through town for noisy, dusty coal trains.”

Read the full story at Earthfix…