Oregonians! Join us at the Rally for Clean Energy Jobs and Public Hearing in Salem on Wednesday, March 1st.

Marcela Gara News

We can. We must. We will. You are part of an ever-growing movement to protect the state we love from the fossil fuel industry. They want to tether our future to dirty projects like coal export and oil terminals. But, together, we have pushed back and helped our region earn a reputation for protecting clean water and air, and combating …

Diverse coalition stands up against proposed Longview coal export facility

Eric Shew News

Coal project would turn southwest Washington into the coal export capital of North America Hundreds of residents from across the Pacific Northwest testified today against a proposal to build the largest coal export terminal in North America in Longview, Washington. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) took public testimony on their Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the proposed …

From Montana to the coast, coal dust threatens humans health

Eric Shew News

Sightline Institude : Tarika Powell and Samir Junejo A new study shows Bellingham and Longview terminals would harm communities along rail route. This article is part of the series A Crackdown on Coal Dust Update 4/4/16: The Gateway Pacific Terminal project has requested a temporary suspension of the proposal’s environmental review process. If the coal industry gets its way, the Columbia River Gorge …

Coal trains mean coal dust—period. And trackside communities should worry.

Eric Shew News

Sightline Institute,  Eric de Place This article is part of the series A Crackdown on Coal Dust So much coal dust escapes from the open-top rail cars used for transporting coal that it can create safety problems for rail traffic. Coal dust deposits sometimes cause spontaneous fires, and in 2005, for example, coal dust that had accumulated in ballast, the …

State ecologists note oil terminal’s dangers, but feds miss the memo on coal facility

Eric Shew News

Portland Business Journal While Washington ecologists noted environmental concerns in an impact report released today on the proposed Westway oil terminal in Hoquiam, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ignored pollution dangers from the proposed Millennium Bulk Terminals coal facility in Longview. So said groups that are tracking the projects in analyses released today. The Westway Terminal Co.’s project would …

Over a quarter of a million public comments against largest coal export terminal in North America

Marcela Gara News

Public Comment Period Ends As Community Concerns Grow Over Fossil Fuel Transport Given Recent Oil Train Derailment on Columbia River  Olympia, WA:   Residents traveling up from Longview, WA delivered public comments to the Washington Dept. of Ecology at the end of the 45 day public comment process.   The agency should receive over 257,000 comments calling on the Dept. of Ecology …

Scholars may never understand the energy source’s full economic cost, but that doesn’t make its damage any less knowable.

Eric Shew News

In Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See, a radio broadcaster marvels at the wonder of coal: Consider a single piece glowing in your family’s stove. See it, children? That chunk of coal was once a green plant, a fern or reed that lived one million years ago, or maybe two million, or maybe one hundred million. Can you imagine …

Cherry Point coal terminal would harm salmon, Lummi way of life

Allison Roberts News

Someone once told me that anything can be accomplished if you just have enough time and money. But for many people and communities, including Lummi, currency is something far more valuable than a dollar bill. Salmon is our most important currency; it’s the lifeblood of our people and always has been. Our job is to ensure we have enough salmon …

Power Past Coal Stands with Lummi Nation

Allison Roberts News

BELLINGHAM, Wash. — The Lummi Nation today sent a formal request to the US Army Corps of Engineers asking that they deny a permit for the proposed Cherry Point coal export facility due to treaty rights. In response, Crina Hoyer, executive director of Bellingham’s RE Sources for Sustainable Communities, issued the following statement: “Power Past Coal stands with the Lummi …