Below is the text of a flyer I wrote to help my neighbors and friends understand the evils of coal and to take action to prevent the evil from spreading.
Evil Coal….
Poisons
Impoverishes
Destroys
While we in the Northwest enjoy mostly
clean energy (thanks, hydros!), around the nation coal provides about 57% of
our electricity. And, the US has a lot
of coal.
We may not be safe from coals,
poisons, though. First, companies are
seeking to mine coal from public land in the Powder River Basin in Montana and
Wyoming, and send it to Asia via rail to the Pacific Coast.
Second, wherever it is burned, coal
puts greenhouse gases into the air when we know that these gases are causing
global climate change.
A Utah coal company wants to build a
coal transfer station at Boardman to move coal from rail to barge for the trip
to Asia.
The Port of Morrow has made a deal with the Utah
company, but the company still needs a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers
and several from the state of Oregon.
Coal is dirty.
“Clean Coal” is a lie. It’s a
fossil fuel and when burned, puts greenhouse gases in the air. It puts radioactive thorium and uranium into
the air—far more than do commercial nuclear reactors.
When mined,
it poisons workers and nearby residents, and wildlife. It kills streams. Mountaintop removal destroys forests.
We in the
Tri-Cities get our power from BPA. About 2% of it comes from coal. The company
that owns the plant in Centralia also does mountaintop removal in Appalachia.
We are all
connected.
Researchers
at Harvard Medical School have recently pegged the annual cost of coal,
including harm to public health, damage from mining, pollution, and
subsidies—at $345 billion annually in the US alone.
Demand in
the US for coal is declining, but worldwide, the demand rages. That’s why companies seek to mine coal from
public land in the Powder River Basin of Montana and Wyoming and ship it by
rail to West Coast ports – to ship to Asia.
Two
Washington ports and several Oregon ports are considering ports for coal
exports.
One of these
is in Boardman. The US Army Corps of
Engineers has regrettably decided to only do an Environmental Assessment,
rather than a more rigorous EIS. The
state is holding hearings on the various permits the facility would require. The
comment period closes December 20 on this permit.
In
Bellingham, the environmental review for a proposed port has sparked opposition
in the forms of resolutions from the city council and hundreds of demonstrators
at public meetings.
Coal on rail
lines makes for a bad neighbor. Coal dust is a huge source of respiratory
illness. It also degrades water
quality. Coal dust escapes during
transit because the rail cars are overfilled and uncovered. Coal dust already escapes along Northwest
rail lines.
One last point – coal terminals do not produce
many jobs. For example, the proposed
coal export terminal at Longwood would occupy 416 acres of heavy industrial
waterfront property and produce 70 jobs – less than 0.2 jobs/acre. By contrast, a site in Troutdale on cleaned
up land has a
business
supporting 1.1 jobs/acre. Another, in Vancouver, supports 3.4 jobs/acre.
Portland and
Los Angeles have already gambled and lost on coal export facilities.
David and Goliath?
Big Coal is
powerful. It has an army of lobbyists and lots of subsidies. You may have seen slick commercials about
coal.
But many
organizations and communities are speaking out.
EPA has taken long overdue steps to regulate this industry more
diligently. The need to curtail
greenhouse gases is more widely understood and getting more urgent. So
yes, let’s fight coal.
What you can do
Ø
Visit PowerPastCoal.org
Ø
Visit Sightline Institute www.sightline.org
Ø
Urge our legislature to keep I-937 strong (state
law for more renewable energy, with targets that utilities don’t like). firstname.lastname@leg.wa.gov
Ø
Submit comments on the Boardman proposal.
Hearing
in Boardman December 4
! We only have until 12/20/12
to comment against the proposed Boardman coal terminal. Please tell the Oregon
Department of Environmental Quality to deny the Air Containment Discharge
Permits and other state permits that would pave the way for dirty coal exports.
Attend
a hearing, or email
fisher.mark@deq.state.or.us
Ø
Give money to the groups fighting coal.
Ø
Get engaged, stay engaged. Use your First Amendment rights to speech,
press, assembly, religion, and petitioning government.
Well! This has a very local approach, but the resources in links and facts can help you fight coal whereever you are.
Peace and justice, y'all
Molly
