The coal industry in America is struggling. Its product is dirty and not as comparatively cheap as it used to be.
There was a time when coal was one of the least expensive ways to make electricity. Back then, the industry
was also so powerful that it could force politicians to ignore the fact that it fouled the air and acidified the rain across America.
Those days are gone.
Coal may still be cheap, but other ways of generating electricity are cheaper. All of them are cleaner.
Coal companies Ambre Energy and Arch Coal are seeking to build a coal export terminal, called Millennium Bulk Terminals, in Longview, WA. If we don’t stop it, the terminal would export up to 44 million tons of coal every year in huge ships down the Columbia River, out through some of the roughest and most dangerous ocean waters in the world and across the Pacific to Asia.
The Millennium Bulk Terminals would be the largest permitted coal export facility in the United States. Right now, the three agencies involved in issuing permits (Washington Dept. of Ecology, Cowlitz County, WA, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) are trying to decide which impacts to take into account in their decision-making process.
You can make a difference by telling these agencies just how important it is to deny the Millennium Bulk terminal proposal and keep dirty coal in the ground. Act now to speak out against this dirty business and say NO to one of the three proposed coal export terminals in the Northwest!
That's why I signed a petition to US Army Corps of Engineers, WA Department of Ecology, and Cowlitz County Commission, which says:
"I strongly oppose the construction of a coal export terminal at Longview, Washington, which would transport coal on trains and ships throughout the Northwest.
Coal is a dirty and dangerous combustible fuel that coal companies would put in open rail cars to travel through our communities and on massive cargo ships through our marine waters, fishing grounds, and recreation areas. This proposal would hurt my community by increasing congestion and noise with more coal train traffic, polluting our air and local waterways, harming existing businesses, and delaying emergency responders. It would also damage aquatic ecosystems and fishing areas on the Columbia River, harm human health, increase tanker traffic and the potential for shipping accidents and spills, expand strip mining in Wyoming and Montana, and escalate climate change. Coal export threatens the health, public safety, and economic vitality of our communities.
I urge you to consider these impacts in the scope of the Environmental Impact Statement."
Will you sign the petition too? Click here to add your name:
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/oregon-stop-coal-exports?source=s.fwd&r_by=549070
more info at http://www.theportlandaliance.org/coal
Rally 'Round NO COAL for OREGON!
The Community Alliance Against Coal presents:
Blue Skies and Coal Don’t Mix! The Blue Skies Campaign, based in Missoula, Montana, will talk about what resistance to new coal infrastructure looks like on their end while gathering support for a HUGE Coal Export Action this August 12-20th in Helena, MT! Coal that is mined in Montana and Wyoming could be shipped through Oregon and Washington. It is critical that all communities that are impacted by coal: where it is mined, shipped and burned, unite as one voice to say No Coal! What: Presentation by the Blue Skies Campaign to build alliances and momentum for action against coal Where: Laughing Horse Books, 12 NE 10th Ave (just off Burnside) in Portland, OR When: Tuesday July 24th, 7pm Cost: Free! Donations happily accepted More info/RSVP: nocoalexports.org, coalexportaction.org Coal hurts the economy, the environment, and our health. Coal is a dirty, antiquated fuel of the past, and continued dependence on coal holds us back from a sustainable, renewable energy future. Oregon and Washington are currently threatened with six proposals to ship coal mined in Montana and Wyoming down the Columbia and on to Asian markets. When burned, it will return as poison toxins all along the Pacific coast. It is time for us to stand up. About the Blue Skies Campaign: The Blue Skies Campaign is a grassroots, volunteer-run organization dedicated to protecting Montana communities from coal mining, transportation, and export. Our Missoula-based organizing team works with groups and organizations across Montana to stop dirty coal infrastructure, and promote a sustainable, renewable energy future. Montana is sitting on a carbon bomb: the biggest untapped coal reserves in the contiguous United States lie buried under Montana soil. If even a fraction of this coal were burned, it would release enough carbon to make catastrophic climate change basically unavoidable. By denying permits to build critical components of coal export infrastructure, state and local governments from eastern Montana to the West Coast can dampen the fuse to this bomb. The action will be a peaceful protest aimed at protecting communities in Montana and the Northwest from coal mining, transportation, and export. Visit coalexportaction.org for details. |