Compelling three-minute video highlights plans to export dirty U.S. coal to Asia. Local voices from Longview, Bellingham, Hood River, and Portland share how coal trains and terminals will harm their communities. The video captures the filth of coal and the shine of those who know we can do better. Columbia Riverkeeper teamed with Balance Media to produce the video. Link …
The Coal Pipeline: In Pacific Northwest, A Local Battle Has Global Fallout
That coal and its potential implications has sparked a fierce fight in this otherwise quiet college town. . .The opposition includes doctors, business owners, ecologists and community activists, who are concerned about harm to the air and water, among other potential health, environmental and economic consequences of both the port itself and the additional 18 trains that would rumble through …
Controversy over Longview coal terminal
A company that wants to build a coal terminal in Longview, Wash., says it will re-apply for a permit In the next few months. But opponents say the company has already proven itself untrustworthy. Photo credit: www.king5.com/story/tech/science/environment/2014/07/31/12972674
Environmental Groups Upset About Coal Trains
Environmental groups in the Spokane area are upset with proposals that could see dozens of trains loaded with coal destined for the Far East move through the city every day. They fear that coal dust and increased diesel emissions will damage human health, while increased rail traffic will make for more dangerous intersections, among other hazards. Read full story here.
Orient Express: Will Montana become a coal colony? – July 28, 2011
The IR recently wrote about the lawsuit against the decision (of a bare majority) of the Land Board to lease Otter Creek valley for strip-mining by Arch Coal Inc. (Missouri). This decision was made without evaluating environmental and health impacts to our climate and community. The impacts to the health and well-being of Montanans will be myriad and substantial. Most …
EDITORIAL: Counting rail cars
Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred, one hundred one, one hundred two. The final car, a bulk carrier, rumbled past and the barrier lifted. Until Marysville is once again bisected by the moving wall of BNSF. Read the full story here.
A railroad bottleneck if coal trains increase
A new study shows passenger rail service from Seattle to Vancouver, B.C., can expand. But additional freight traffic from coal trains would create a problem for a stretch of single-track rail, landslides, and low-roof tunnels. Read the full story here.
The cherry pit: Bellingham area as a gateway of coal to China
The Chinese need coal. They consume more than 3.2 billion metric tons every year to run the factories that make all of the junk we buy. The only way for American coal companies to get our cheap federally subsidized coal to China is to ship it across the Pacific Ocean. Read the full story here.
Consider all the implications of coal terminal
We can do better. The fire at the Millennium Bulk Terminals site last week highlights the need for our community to have this property cleaned up once and for all. Given the legitimate concern over the potential toxic air pollution and related health impacts from this fire, our community should really be concerned about the long-term health and economic impact …