Facebook

Please read.

Thanks for posting this - this is a critical issue affecting the natural lifeline of the Pacific Northwest.

We can have input in EIS? McKenna said Canada will do it if we don't, and people want jobs.

Susan, that is just one of the problems, it will bring a net job loss. Coal will not bring jobs or prosperity, in fact Canada will NOT do "it". Canada said NO to transporting coal. That is exactly why the "foreign" companies want to transport it through the western USA.

Coal Free Washington / SW WA Chapter....please back up your statement that coal will not bring jobs or prosperity to this region...do you have facts or statistics that verify your statement??

Costs to local economies, public health, and rail corridor communities are concerning to many. There is evidence to support that local jobs and businesses, property values, human health and quality of life would be adversely impacted by the coal trains. Increased marine traffic and the coal terminal would affect fisheries, marine ecosystems, and air quality. Further, substantial taxpayer investment may be required to support infrastructure required by the project and to mitigate some of the potential negative effects. There are questions as to whether damages to local businesses, regional identity, communities and fisheries could ever be adequately mitigated. The global impacts of coal export and coal combustion are significant, particularly when the future is considered.

The terminal at Cherry Point would see the addition of approximately 30 miles of coal trains daily to the BNSF rail line that runs along the Puget Sound coast. This would likely constrain passenger rail and adversely affect the transport of freight other than coal. The Washington state rail system is already nearing practical capacity; infrastructure would need to be upgraded to accommodate proposed usage. BNSF has been largely silent on the issue of rail improvements ; it remains unclear who would pay, and what kind of physical and economic disruption such upgrades would cause.

this and more exerpted from coaltrainfacts.org

Thanks for sharing Doug, but i don't think these people care what kind of train it is. The truth is Washington state is so polluted all ready from the nuke plants and waste dumps, oil slicks and spotted owl poop, they will say about anything to keep good paying jobs out

Just putting this out there out of curiosity: Has anyone vetted these photos to ensure they have not been doctored? I'm not saying they are or are not... I was just curious about the verification process.

I think Ron raises some excellent reasons why we can't afford to add coal pollution to our already devastated river and marine ecosystems -- years of negligence at Hanford, the TransAlta coal plant and many other industrial sites have created enough to deal with. We don't need to create more with dirty coal.

This train is empty

Update:

The photographer, Julie Coop, posted the following on Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission’s Facebook page after someone accused her of being an activist and photoshopping the dust into the pictures:

“I am not an activist. I just took some photos. I have the original memory card that proves there has been no alteration of the photos. As I said before, I was just shocked by the sight. I don’t have anything against coal miners. I’m just saying the loads should be covered so the dust doesn’t pollute the Columbia River Gorge. How can that be a bad things?”

Riverkeeper will share Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission’s Facebook post where the photographer, Julie Coop, shared her thoughts.

There are multiple examples of coal trains spilling dust, including videos, see the links below. Are these photoshopped too?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjhnhZ0mFb4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jixOquzgNqk
http://www.pbase.com/savethewave/image/67781354

Riverkeeper emailed BNSF to ask the source and the destination of the train in Julie’s photos. BNSF has not responded. Someone suggested that the train could be carrying petroleum coke, which is a dirty fossil fuel byproduct. Whether petroleum coke or coal, both are open cars that can spew toxic dust. There is no doubt that more coal trains, and any other open-car dirty fuel source, will bring more harm to the Columbia.

i hear you brother,i thought you worked in the mines?

Yeah. The coal's all going to (drum roll please). CHINA!! Bet no one knew that one folks. Blame everything from respiratory failure to global climate change on that countrys complete lack of environmental regulations, and of course the American corporate lackies that profit off of this...........(sighs deeply).