Newly released video from Greenpeace breaks down Peabody, Arch, and Ambre’s plans to export publicly-owned coal and fuel the climate crisis. The video stars Alia Shawkat – best know as Maeby from Arrested Development. See the full video here.
Coal trains: Lawmakers want statewide study of impacts
As many as 18 coal trains a day, each a mile long and bound for an export terminal north of Bellingham, could threaten access to the busy Edmonds-Kingston ferry, block the Seattle waterfront for up to seven minutes at a time and delay other waterfront cargoes, a dozen Western Washington legislators warned in a letter released Tuesday. The lawmakers are …
Study: Coal trains through Seattle would snarl traffic, delay emergency crews
Coal trains through Seattle will snarl traffic and could delay police and fire crews in emergencies, a study commissioned by the Seattle Department of Transportation concluded. The study showed traffic at railroad crossings could be delayed by several hours each day if a mile-and-a-half-long coal trains are allowed to travel through the city. A proposed coal export terminal at Cherry …
Multnomah County, OR announces coal train study
Chair Jeff Cogen announces that he is directing the Multnomah County Health Department to conduct an immediate study on the health effects of coal on our communities and that he is directing the county’s Office of Emergency Management to study the impact of the additional trains in our neighborhoods on emergency response times. News that is relevant for all communities …
Burning coal pile has neighbors concerned
A pile of coal that caught fire last week has a Lansing [Michigan] neighborhood concerned about their health. Now the Department of Environmental Quality and other agenies are stepping in to investigate. The yard is on Lansing’s north side at the Conrad Yelvington Distributors Transfer Yard off Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. “The odor has just been horrendous,” said Chris …
Northwest leaders: coal export proposal deserves environmental review
Northwest leaders: coal export proposal deserves environmental review A proposal to develop new marine coal export terminals in Oregon and Washington, which could ship between 75 million and 175 million tons of Powder River Basin coal annually to Asia, has drawn concern from environmentalists in the region. The National Wildlife Federation and the Association of Northwest Steelheaders have released a report outlining various environmental concerns to …
Editorial: New complaints about coal trains
If the dust argument is debunked, public outrage swings back to blockage of traffic at crossings. This real here-and-now issue gets far more traction in media blasts than in law. In case after case, rail operators’ right to block traffic is confirmed. Public energy might be better spent attacking the more serious long-term issue of combustion in which coal trains …
Higher rates of cancer at coal loading terminal
A six year investigation into cancer rates at one of the country’s largest coal loading terminals has found workers there are getting cancer at nearly three times higher than average… There is a 1.7 fold increase in the risk of cancer compared to state and national average and a 2.8 fold increase in the risk of cancer compared to the …
Coal exports bring unacceptable risks
Imagine the conversation in the board room of the coal companies. “Sir, our stocks are dropping fast. States are transitioning away from coal-fired power plants, claiming our coal is too dirty.” “Hmmm … Let’s export the coal to Asia! We could push 50 coal trains per day through the Columbia River Gorge to ports in Oregon and Washington. And let’s …
Editorial: Review proposed coal terminals for impacts across Washington
Do not expect the dust to settle on expansive plans to ship coal from the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Montana to Asia via six proposed coal ports in Oregon and Washington. The derailment Monday of 31 cars of a 125-car coal train at Mesa in Franklin County, 20 miles north of the Tri-Cities, made hypothetical hazards and disruptions …
