Coal Trains, Climate Change, and Conflicting RightsBy Emily Lardner This fall, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Washington State Department of Ecology are holding a series of scoping hearings for the proposal to export coal through ports along the Northwest Coast. The Cherry Point marine terminal north of Bellingham would become the largest coal-export port in the U.S., exporting up to 48 million tons of coal each year. Opposition to the proposed coal exports--specifically to the trains that would move coal from Wyoming to the ports, to the development of the ports, to the shipping of coal through fishing waters - is growing. For the most part, opposition to the proposed exports is framed in terms of the public health risks of coal dust from open train cars, congestion in communities due the mile-long freight trains, and risks of contaminating water in and around the ports. Rights in Conflict According to the website Carbon Tracker (http://www.carbontracker.org), the fossil fuel reserves owned by the top 100 coal companies and the top 100 oil and gas companies amount to 745 gigatons - more than we can afford to burn. If those companies exercised their rights to sell their share of carbon reserves as fuel, the ensuing climate disruptions would make life un-livable. In other words, their right to profit from investment in carbon reserves would cost all of us - and subsequent generations - our lives. Tackling climate change pits individual and corporate rights to profit against human rights - among them, our rights to clean water, clean air and a live-able planet. To address climate change, we have to reframe the conversation so it focuses on the conflict between the right to profit and the right to live. The Thurston County Commissioners have taken a clear step in that direction. Resolution 14779, which they passed in August 2012, restates the county's commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and develop a climate action plan, and explicitly opposes coal export terminals in Washington. In an email, Karen Valenzuela clarified the commissioners' shared position, writing that "Commissioners are committed to greening our economy, including our energy sector. Transporting long trains filled with dirty coal through our communities and rural areas carries very real threats of harm to human health and the environment." Congressman Jim McDermott, Seattle, proposed the creation of a national "coal mitigation trust fund" that would put a $10 excise tax on every ton of mined coal. As reported by Kyung M. Song for the Seattle Times on July 25, 2012, McDermott said that "singling out the coal industry for the tax is justified because burning more fossil fuel anywhere in the world contributes to global warming." Carbon taxes, resolutions, and divestment campaigns are all important strategies to pursue. So too are individual and community carbon foot prints. In addition, however, we need to practice reframing the conversation, making it clear that rights are in conflict, and making it easier for elected officials to support "intrusive" public policy aimed at protecting our rights to a live-able planet. Emily Lardner is an occasional contributor to South Sound Green Pages. ---- Coal Export Terminal Meeting Since the scoping period began on September 21, the Gateway Pacific Terminal/Custer Spur Modifications EIS team has hosted three successful scoping meetings in Bellingham, Friday Harbor and Mt. Vernon. Due to large attendance at all three of these meetings, agencies have decided that rooms at North Seattle Community College venue were not large enough to hold the upcoming Seattle meeting previously scheduled for November 13. The Seattle scoping meeting will be held 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Thursday, December 13, Washington State Convention Center, Ballroom 6, 800 Convention Place, Seattle. Submit scoping comments at www.eisgatewaypacificwa.gov. Information about other scoping meetings is available at http://www.eisgatewaypacificwa.gov/get-involved/upcoming-meetings. For more information, go to the Gateway Pacific Terminal/Custer Spur Modifications EIS team with any questions at (360) 398-5087 orcomments@eisgatewaypacificwa.gov.
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