BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — The progressive college town of
Bellingham, Wash., is known for its stunning scenery, access to the
outdoors and eclectic mix of aging hippies, students and other
residents. But lately it’s turned into a battleground in the debate over
whether the Pacific Northwest should become the hub for exporting U.S.
coal to Asia.
Five ports proposed for Washington and Oregon could
ship as much as 140 million tons of coal, mostly from the Rockies, where
it could travel by rail through communities such as Spokane, Seattle
and Eugene, Ore., before being loaded onto ships bound for Asia.
The
Cherry Point marine terminal would be the largest coal-export port in
the U.S., exporting up to 54 million tons of bulk commodities, mostly
coal.
With so much at stake, critics and supporters have
intensified their pitches in recent weeks, running TV and radio spots,
doorbelling homes and turning to phone banks and social media to rally
support for their side.
Hundreds packed a public hearing in
Bellingham last week to tell regulators what should be analyzed during
the environmental review process. Hearings in Seattle, Vancouver and
Spokane are also expected to draw crowds.
"This flies in the face
about what are we about as a region, as far as our leadership on
building a clean economy and saying no to coal. We’re seen as a region
that leads with innovation," said Kimberly Larson, with the Power Past
Coal campaign. "Are we going backward or forward?"
Environmentalists,
some Northwest tribes and others want regulators to study the
cumulative effects all five projects: increased train traffic, carbon
emissions from burning coal overseas and other health and environmental
concerns.
Project supporters say it’s not practical to lump the
projects together. Only some ports will be built, they say, and each has
different circumstances.
"Most of the people who are proposing
that just view it as an opportunity to grind everything to a halt," said
Craig Cole, a spokesman for developer Seattle-based SSA Marine. "We are
expecting a very full review of the impacts of this project."
Even
as environmental reviews have started for three coal-export projects at
Cherry Point, Port of Morrow, Ore., and Longview Wash., the Army Corps
of Engineers hasn’t decided whether it’ll conduct a broader
environmental review for all the projects.
"We haven’t made that
determination yet," said corps spokeswoman Michael Coffey. "We’re not
saying yes and we’re not saying no either."
Two other projects are
proposed in Oregon at Coos Bay and St. Helens. Another in Grays Harbor
County, Wash., was shelved over the summer, after the developer decided
to explore other terminal uses.
Meanwhile, a trade group that
includes the three largest U.S. coal producers has been running TV and
newspaper ads to tout jobs, tax revenues and other economic benefits.
"We
feel that someone is going to supply the coal to the ports that need
it. … The question is: where is that coal going to come from?" said
Lauri Hennessey, a spokeswoman for the Alliance for Northwest Jobs &
Exports, which includes BNSF Railway and companies such as Peabody
Coal, Arch Coal and Ambre Energy with stakes in the Northwest projects.
"That coal can be sent through Washington and Oregon ports in a way
that’s environmentally responsible."
Several union leaders and
some lawmakers say the region can’t afford to turn down well-paying
jobs. The company says the $665 million project will create 1,250
permanent direct and indirect jobs and generate $11 million in tax
revenues; critics are skeptical.
"Some groups have demonized a
natural resource and they think nobody on the planet should burn this
material. I disagree. We need jobs," said Mike Elliott, chairman of the
state’s Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen.
Trains
already carry coal from the Rockies through the state for export through
British Columbia. But Bellingham resident Lynn Berman and others fear
the increase in coal shipments — about nine mile-long trains a day —
could threaten fisheries, create health problems and foul the area’s
natural resources.
"It’s such a bad idea," said Berman, who worked
the phone bank one afternoon in the field office in downtown Bellingham
set up by ReSources, a local group that has been organizing against the
project. "I think it will impact everyone in this community."
Volunteers
have made 32,000 phone calls and hope to make tens of thousands more to
educate people about the project, said Matt Petryni, Power Past Coal
Campaign organizer. The Sierra Club is also running TV ads in Eastern
Washington to warn of risks. It has plans to run more ads statewide and
in Oregon.
The Cherry Point area is noted for extensive herring
spawning grounds. It’s also known burial grounds for the Lummi Nation.
The tribe recently came out against the project.
"We do not want
any further disturbance," said Jewell James, who manages the tribe’s
sovereignty and treaty protection office. "It’s also a treaty rights
issue. This always has been a major fishing and harvesting site for our
fishermen."
On a recent afternoon, SSA Marine’s Cole pointed to
the site, near marine terminals for two oil refineries and an aluminum
smelter. "This site has been intended for this purpose," said Cole, a
former Whatcom County Councilman. He said the company plans to follow
the highest environmental standards.
"The hoops that the company
has to jump through are very extraordinary. They’re really high. You
have to prove that you can avoid impacts, minimize them or mitigate
them," Cole said.
But neighbors and others who gathered in Cindy
Franklin’s living room for a letter-writing workshop that same afternoon
weren’t so sure.
"I’m afraid that this new race to get all this
coal out of the ground, sell it under the guise of energy independence
… is going to destroy our atmosphere," said Franklin, 59, retired
business consultant and environmental activist. "It’s about the burning
of the coal being a major contributor to climate change. We need to do
all we can to stop this."
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.