Plans to build a shipping terminal near the mouth of the Columbia River to export Rocky Mountain coal to Asia have resurfaced — and this time the proposal is bigger than ever. Read more.
OPINION: Set the environmental bar high on coal transport and export
From the boisterous meeting at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center, it was clear residents from far and wide want the broadest possible review of plans for a coal port near Bellingham. The intimate gathering of thousands last week was the final of seven sessions — in Bellingham, Friday…
Bellingham residents at odds over coal proposal
BELLINGHAM – This progressive college town is known for its stunning scenery, access to the outdoors and eclectic mix of aging hippies, students and other residents. But lately it’s turned into a battleground in the debate over whether the Pacific Northwest should become the hub for exporting U.S. coal to…
Epic Northwest battle: Defining how big a deal coal ports are
It is being called “unprecedented” but it seems to be rolling out as its authors had intended, perhaps the biggest experiment in environmental democracy the Northwest has ever seen. That would be the “scoping” process to determine what effects the proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal north of Bellingham would have on…
Study: Coal Trains Would Hit Property Values Hard
A new study commissioned by Seattle-based Climate Solutions concluded that a proposal to run as many as 18 1.6-mile-long coal trains a day through Seattle to a new coal terminal in Bellingham could cost property owners along the route as much as $265 million in lost property values. The report…
Fight over coal exports builds in Northwest communities
BELLINGHAM, Wash. — The progressive college town of Bellingham, Wash., is known for its stunning scenery, access to the outdoors and eclectic mix of aging hippies, students and other residents. But lately it’s turned into a battleground in the debate over whether the Pacific Northwest should become the hub for…
Reject plan for coal export terminals – it’s the neighborly thing to do
Coal companies want to build enormous export terminals in Washington state to ship coal through our region to Asia. While permitting such coal terminals may sound like a mere technical matter, it is not. This is a decision that affects the future of our region and our world. Read the…
Thousands Turn Out to Voice Opposition of Controversial Coal Export Proposal
Bellingham, WA - Close to 2,000 residents from Northern Washington packed Squalicum High School to kick off the first of seven public comment hearings to show opposition of the proposed coal export terminal at Cherry Point. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Ecology, and the Whatcom County…
NW coal port traffic raises worry about huge marine spill
Yet, there is fear in the island air that much of this could be washed away by what ecologists call a “low probability, high risk” event: an oil spill from an accident to just one of the thousands of oil tankers, container ships, and coal ships transiting the two narrow…