Big coal has big plans for Washington State. Coal companies want to build two massive export terminals in Washington so they can ship coal from Wyoming and Montana to China and all over the world.
This is one of the most important fights against coal in the country right now, because if we lose, it will seriously undermine much of the progress we've made to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the amount of dirty coal burned in the United States.
But Washington State can stop the coal industry in its tracks. Public Lands Commissioner Peter Goldmark and Governor Gregoire have the power to block the construction of these coal export facilities. They need to know that Washingtonians don't want the state to be used as an export hub for filthy and polluting coal.
Some info is available at the Sierra Club website, but I've attached the following which contains excellent information and links to follow if you choose.
Hi Jerry,
I am curious if you have heard anything about this. This is a letter my wife S... sent to various friends. If the coal terminal goes through, it will have a huge impact on Mt Vernon (continuous huge coal trains blocking traffic and sending up dust- coal grinds together from vibration and liberates dust along the entire transport route). If you agree this is concerning, please alert anyone who you think should know (you are welcome to copy or forward this email). It is surprising how many people have no idea what is happening. This is not hypothetical, and the impacts apply just as much to Skagit County as Whatcom County.
We are trying to spearhead a physician group in Bellingham to issue a statement about the health impacts, including childhood asthma, pulmonary and heart problems of breathing diesel particulates, and blocked emergency access across tracks (a 1.6 mile long train will block all crossings in a given area simultaneously, and they have to slow down through towns, creating prolonged blockage).
Best, G...
Dear Friends,
Over the past two weeks, I have learned a lot about the planned coal terminal just north of Bellingham at Cherry Point and the potential impacts on our community. I am realizing through my regular conversations with many of you, that most people (even those who are generally more informed than I am!) are not aware of the details of this situation. I know that most of you will care as deeply about this as I do, and thus, I’m sending a few details below with relevant links.
A company called SSA Marine, which is now partially owned (49%) by Goldman-Sachs, has plans to build the LARGEST coal exporting terminal in North America at Cherry Point in Ferndale. This is not a hypothetical problem. Plans are in motion and SSA Marine is in the early stages of getting permits for the project. If allowed to go through, it would have HUGE environmental, health, social, and economic consequences for our city and county.
If the proposed “Gateway Pacific Terminal” is built, it will transform Whatcom county, forever. The terminal is slated to export 54 million metric tons of coal to China every year. This would mean 18-20 additional coal trains (each 1.6 miles long) passing through Whatcom County and Bellingham’s waterfront every day for years to come. This coal would primarily be coming from the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and Montana, traveling by train 642 miles through the state of Washington. Coal cars are all uncovered and according to Burlington Northern, every coal car can lose more than 500 pounds of coal dust in transit polluting cities, farmland, rivers and, on its final leg, Puget Sound. (500 pounds per car X 150 cars/train X 20 trains per day = 1.5 million pounds of coal dust per day)
Coal dust contains toxic heavy metals including lead, mercury and selenium. The diesel engines that pull these enormous trains and the huge ships that carry the coal are also tremendously polluting, resulting in a possibly 3-fold increase in the diesel particular matter (DPMs) in Whatcom County. There are many large and well-conducted published studies that have established dose-related links between air borne DPMs and cancer rates, heart attack rates, and respiratory disease (I’m now in the process of reviewing many of these studies).
The building of the terminal at Cherry Point would involve destroying or altering 162 acres of wetlands. There would be an estimated 200 huge tanker ships per year passing by the San Juan Islands on their way to Cherry Point area. There is a smaller coal terminal near the Tsawassen ferry terminal in B.C. which emits roughly 715 metric tons of coal dust per year. That area has suffered problems with ‘black tides’ and significant other problems from coal dust. Pictures of from that facility are available at this link: http://daily.sightline.org/
SSA Marine is promoting the economic benefits to the community stating that the terminal, when fully operational, will employ 280 people. However, massive coal shipment through our community would cut off Bellingham from its waterfront and seriously jeopardize the development of the waterfront which could produce an estimated 2,000-5,000 permanent jobs.
There are currently two main organizations in Whatcom County that are working to inform the community about this matter: RE-Sources (the parent organization for the RE-Store) and CommunityWise Bellingham. The latter group’s primary mission at this time is calling for enlarging the scope of the EIS (Environmental Impact Study). SSA Marine currently only believes it should have to provide an EIS for the immediate vicinity of Cherry Point. Obviously, the project would have far-reaching impacts and the EIS should include much broader evaluation of the environmental, economic, and health impacts in our entire region.
SSA Marine is backed by HUGE money and already has regular ads running on the radio and in local papers featuring the President of the Bellingham/Whatcom Chamber of Commerce and the Head of the NW Washington Labor Council promoting the project. The project is also heavily promoted by prominent Bellingham business man Craig Cole, who is known to be receiving large payments from SSA Marine. Some ads even suggest that Mayor Dan Pike is in favor of the project (which he is not. He is currently not taking a position and firmly believes that full impact studies need to be done, as outlined above).
What you can do:
1) Stay abreast of the issue by following developments on websites for RE-Sources and CommunityWise Bellingham. Both sites have a great deal of information, interesting articles, links to numerous relevant sites and on-line petitions to sign.http://www.re-sources.org/
http://www.
2) Attend an informational meeting at the Fairhaven Village Green the evening of May 31. Internationally renowned environmental journalist, Bill McKibben, will be speaking. There will be local bands and information booths. More information at: http://www.re-sources.org/
3) Attend a meeting hosted by Mayor Pike on June 1 at 6 pm in the large courtroom at Bellingham Municipal Court. This meeting is to provide area residents a preliminary chance to identify impacts that should be studied during future review of the proposed project.
4) If you don’t have time to get personally involved, consider donating money to RE-Sources or CommunityWise Bellingham … or do both!
5) Write to Bellingham City Council and Whatcom County Council members. Their names, addresses and email addresses are all readily available through links on the CommunityWise Bellingham site http://www.
6) Inform everyone you know, send emails to whoever is in your sphere of influence (work groups, school rosters, PTAs, friends). You are welcome to forward this email in total or in part—or rewrite some or all of it.
Final Important Note:
In recent years, coal terminals have been planned in several Oregon and Washington coastal locations south of us (including Portland, Tacoma, and smaller places) and these communities have successfully shut them out. Let us engage Whatcom County in defending our gorgeous natural environment, vibrant city and fragile ecosystems—and preserve the purity of our air and water so that we and our children and their children can enjoy long and healthy lives.
With fervent hope of saving our community from this disaster,
S.
I am curious if you have heard anything about this. This is a letter my wife S... sent to various friends. If the coal terminal goes through, it will have a huge impact on Mt Vernon (continuous huge coal trains blocking traffic and sending up dust- coal grinds together from vibration and liberates dust along the entire transport route). If you agree this is concerning, please alert anyone who you think should know (you are welcome to copy or forward this email). It is surprising how many people have no idea what is happening. This is not hypothetical, and the impacts apply just as much to Skagit County as Whatcom County.
We are trying to spearhead a physician group in Bellingham to issue a statement about the health impacts, including childhood asthma, pulmonary and heart problems of breathing diesel particulates, and blocked emergency access across tracks (a 1.6 mile long train will block all crossings in a given area simultaneously, and they have to slow down through towns, creating prolonged blockage).
Best, G...
Dear Friends,
Over the past two weeks, I have learned a lot about the planned coal terminal just north of Bellingham at Cherry Point and the potential impacts on our community. I am realizing through my regular conversations with many of you, that most people (even those who are generally more informed than I am!) are not aware of the details of this situation. I know that most of you will care as deeply about this as I do, and thus, I’m sending a few details below with relevant links.
A company called SSA Marine, which is now partially owned (49%) by Goldman-Sachs, has plans to build the LARGEST coal exporting terminal in North America at Cherry Point in Ferndale. This is not a hypothetical problem. Plans are in motion and SSA Marine is in the early stages of getting permits for the project. If allowed to go through, it would have HUGE environmental, health, social, and economic consequences for our city and county.
If the proposed “Gateway Pacific Terminal” is built, it will transform Whatcom county, forever. The terminal is slated to export 54 million metric tons of coal to China every year. This would mean 18-20 additional coal trains (each 1.6 miles long) passing through Whatcom County and Bellingham’s waterfront every day for years to come. This coal would primarily be coming from the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and Montana, traveling by train 642 miles through the state of Washington. Coal cars are all uncovered and according to Burlington Northern, every coal car can lose more than 500 pounds of coal dust in transit polluting cities, farmland, rivers and, on its final leg, Puget Sound. (500 pounds per car X 150 cars/train X 20 trains per day = 1.5 million pounds of coal dust per day)
Coal dust contains toxic heavy metals including lead, mercury and selenium. The diesel engines that pull these enormous trains and the huge ships that carry the coal are also tremendously polluting, resulting in a possibly 3-fold increase in the diesel particular matter (DPMs) in Whatcom County. There are many large and well-conducted published studies that have established dose-related links between air borne DPMs and cancer rates, heart attack rates, and respiratory disease (I’m now in the process of reviewing many of these studies).
The building of the terminal at Cherry Point would involve destroying or altering 162 acres of wetlands. There would be an estimated 200 huge tanker ships per year passing by the San Juan Islands on their way to Cherry Point area. There is a smaller coal terminal near the Tsawassen ferry terminal in B.C. which emits roughly 715 metric tons of coal dust per year. That area has suffered problems with ‘black tides’ and significant other problems from coal dust. Pictures of from that facility are available at this link: http://daily.sightline.org/
SSA Marine is promoting the economic benefits to the community stating that the terminal, when fully operational, will employ 280 people. However, massive coal shipment through our community would cut off Bellingham from its waterfront and seriously jeopardize the development of the waterfront which could produce an estimated 2,000-5,000 permanent jobs.
There are currently two main organizations in Whatcom County that are working to inform the community about this matter: RE-Sources (the parent organization for the RE-Store) and CommunityWise Bellingham. The latter group’s primary mission at this time is calling for enlarging the scope of the EIS (Environmental Impact Study). SSA Marine currently only believes it should have to provide an EIS for the immediate vicinity of Cherry Point. Obviously, the project would have far-reaching impacts and the EIS should include much broader evaluation of the environmental, economic, and health impacts in our entire region.
SSA Marine is backed by HUGE money and already has regular ads running on the radio and in local papers featuring the President of the Bellingham/Whatcom Chamber of Commerce and the Head of the NW Washington Labor Council promoting the project. The project is also heavily promoted by prominent Bellingham business man Craig Cole, who is known to be receiving large payments from SSA Marine. Some ads even suggest that Mayor Dan Pike is in favor of the project (which he is not. He is currently not taking a position and firmly believes that full impact studies need to be done, as outlined above).
What you can do:
1) Stay abreast of the issue by following developments on websites for RE-Sources and CommunityWise Bellingham. Both sites have a great deal of information, interesting articles, links to numerous relevant sites and on-line petitions to sign.http://www.re-sources.org/
http://www.
2) Attend an informational meeting at the Fairhaven Village Green the evening of May 31. Internationally renowned environmental journalist, Bill McKibben, will be speaking. There will be local bands and information booths. More information at: http://www.re-sources.org/
3) Attend a meeting hosted by Mayor Pike on June 1 at 6 pm in the large courtroom at Bellingham Municipal Court. This meeting is to provide area residents a preliminary chance to identify impacts that should be studied during future review of the proposed project.
4) If you don’t have time to get personally involved, consider donating money to RE-Sources or CommunityWise Bellingham … or do both!
5) Write to Bellingham City Council and Whatcom County Council members. Their names, addresses and email addresses are all readily available through links on the CommunityWise Bellingham site http://www.
6) Inform everyone you know, send emails to whoever is in your sphere of influence (work groups, school rosters, PTAs, friends). You are welcome to forward this email in total or in part—or rewrite some or all of it.
Final Important Note:
In recent years, coal terminals have been planned in several Oregon and Washington coastal locations south of us (including Portland, Tacoma, and smaller places) and these communities have successfully shut them out. Let us engage Whatcom County in defending our gorgeous natural environment, vibrant city and fragile ecosystems—and preserve the purity of our air and water so that we and our children and their children can enjoy long and healthy lives.
With fervent hope of saving our community from this disaster,
S.
