Comments

1
Stephen Harper and the folks at the CPR must be smiling today...port hardy is going to be seeing a while lot of coal in its future...
2
" 48 million tons of coal proposed for export at the terminal annually would release roughly 100 million tons of carbon dioxide, "

The Chinese are going to burn that coal no matter what. Is it really rich Seattle's job lecture the Chinese on how to develop?
3
@2 Let's just let the invisible hand of free market capitalism do its work. Just think of all the benefits.
With the rising ocean levels, a lot of new folks will suddenly have waterfront property!
4
To free up the invisible hand, you have to stop subsidizing coal and coal exports.

That means charging modern costs for mining leases on national and state lands, ending tax exemptions and deductions, and requiring all costs for pollution - dead children, dead old people - are paid by coal.

That's capitalism.

We live in mercantalism - the anti-thesis of capitalism.
5
Carlyle always confuses me. He comes out with good stuff like this but oy, try to talk to him about public education and he goes all ed reform. Sigh.
6
Too much money involved for any meaningful resistance to this. It's going to happen no matter how bad it is.
7
"Carlyle always confuses me."

That's because you're an idiot Westello, someone who only sees in black and white.
8
While being anti-coal does not necessarily equate to being pro-fracked gas, due to protestations, the price of FRACKED gas is climbing, much to the delight of gaseous investors.
9
This is good news indeed. It is a bit disconcerting and sad, though, to think that simply looking at the ramifications of a project is such a big deal. In other words, the folks that opposed this know that if everyone understands what this will mean for the region, the country and the world, it will fail. Those that support it just hope that folks won't take a good look at it.
10
@2 -- Not true. They can get coal from other places, but it will be more expensive. That is what this is all about. It will increase the cost of coal. This will result in less consumption, as China will continue its transition towards forms of energy that will be cheaper and more reliable in the future.

@8 So the price of Fracked gas is climbing. This means that we will probably see less of it.
11
Great job, Ecology. This is huge.

Dig it: It is not in the interest of the powers that be in Washington and Oregon -- the existing political leaders, agencies, or businesses, not to mention citizens -- to have our states dominated by coal interests. Letting the coal export plan happen would mean allowing coal interest to exert enormous influence on state politics. This fight is not only about good public policy, global warming, or public health; the coal trains are a direct threat to the power of the state's Democrats, business leaders, etc. That's a good thing; they are not only fighting for the environment, or the little children's lungs, but for their own political survival. That's a lot of motivation.

We have an incredible opportunity for Washington and Oregon -- at every level, from grass-roots organizations to individuals to statewide leadership -- to get together and stop this incredibly destructive and short-sighted coal export plan. We all have a personal interest in the outcome. We're well positioned to stand up to the extraction industry -- with our collective wealth, privilege, education, fairly independent-minded state agencies, and other advantages.

If not us, who? We can win this one.
12
@3
you miss the point. the point was this: stopping this terminal won't stop those plants in china, it's better to have a policy of regulation that actually solves the problem instead of just making us here feel better for emotional reasons, which for you seem primary. also needed; facts, logic, you know, science? instead of religion? just because X is bad doesn't mean Y is a proper way to address the problem. is this so hard to grasp?
13
so, just asking, what's our carbon footprint here in Washington, per person, compared to footprints of folks in china, per person.

Please wait...

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