About 2,000 people jammed into the Cowlitz Expo Center on Tuesday evening, capping six hours of hearings on a proposed Longview coal terminal in which both sides rallied vigorously but without the incivility law enforcement officials had feared. . . “How much more does my neighborhood have to suffer? … Justice, not expedience, needs to be the guiding light in …
New Poll Shows Majority of WA and OR Voters Oppose Coal Exports
A new poll shows a majority of voters in both Washington (51%) and Oregon (54%) oppose the proposed plans to export coal from Northwest ports, with a majority of moderate (54% in both states), liberal (69% in WA, 75% in OR) and a large number of independent voters (48% in WA; 51% in OR) voicing opposition. The survey also found …
Guest Column: A crystal ball on coal export
As our community gets ready to discuss the proposed Millennium coal terminal project at public hearings on Sept. 17, wouldn’t it be helpful if we could see the future to know what life near a coal terminal would be like? How far would coal dust spread from the trains and export facility? What would traffic congestion be like with 16 …
Washington Families Against Coal Trains
The Power Past Coal coalition launched an ad buy in advance of the public scoping hearings for the proposed terminal at Longview, WA. Rick Marshall, a Camas resident and one of the family members profiled in the Power Past Coal spot, says that he and his family understand the importance of spreading the word about the dangers of exporting coal. …
Fisheries: Coal facilities would threaten salmon
Oregon’s fishing industry advocates have stepped into the debate over new coal shipments in the Pacific Northwest. Representatives of the Association of Northwest Steelheaders and Northwest Guides and Anglers Association said potential pollution from the shipments could seep into waterways and threaten the livelihoods of those working in fisheries. Read the full story here.
Lummi Nation’s stance could stop proposed coal terminal
Lummi Nation Natural Resources Director Merle Jefferson says the tribe is ready to send an official letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announcing its opposition to the Gateway Pacific Terminal project at Cherry Point – a move that could stop the federal permit process for the coal terminal dead in its tracks. Read the story here. Read the …
Ecology will study impact of coal trains when considering Gateway Pacific Terminal
Whatcom County and its regulatory state and federal partners have announced they will conduct a sweeping review of Gateway Pacific Terminal’s environmental impacts — an apparent victory for the coal terminal’s opponents. Read the full story here.
State EIS on Cherry Point coal-exports facility to consider ‘end use’ coal burning in China as well as regional rail impacts
An environmental review of a proposed coal-export facility at Cherry Point will take into account pollutants emitted by the facility, rail traffic carrying coal to the facility, and also the impact on greenhouse gases from coal burning in China, India and other export destinations. The scope of environmental review was announced Wednesday by the Department of Ecology, Whatcom County and …
Goldman Sachs says coal-export terminals are a bad investment
No less an investor than the mighty Warren Buffett has proclaimed that the decline of coal in the U.S. will be gradual but inevitable. Given flat demand for electricity, cheap natural gas, burgeoning renewables, rising efficiency, and future carbon regulations, new coal-fired power plants are bad bet, which is why they aren’t getting built. To save their bacon, U.S. coal …
World Bank to stop funding coal projects
The World Bank Group has just agreed to stop funding coal projects. This is welcome news as the World Bank Group has funded almost $6 billion in coal projects over the past five years. As a part of a new energy strategy which will cover the Bank’s lending, the Bank agreed that it will only fund coal projects in “rare …