Posts tagged transportation
Stories about America's second-largest waste stream.
We don’t think that you can look at any of these one proposals with blinders on and not consider the other two because there is a lot of communities that will experienced the impacts from all the proposals. Not just within Washington and Oregon boundaries.
Here’s what other folks are writing about the Northwest coal export proposals this week
The Economist: Dirty War: A rancorous scrap over plans to send American coal to Asia
Politico: Coal industry sees lifeline in big deposits out West
E & E: COAL: Dust impacts at issue as Army Corps considers Northwest export plans
Check out our ongoing coverage on EarthFix
Coal Transporters Held Accountable for Contamination of Local Waterways
BNSF Railway, owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, is one of the largest coal transporters in the U.S. It is responsible for hauling an average of 480 open-top rail cars carrying coal through Washington daily. Each rail car loses an average of 500 pounds of coal dust per trip.
Jack Corn’s photograph of coal cars loaded up at rail yards in Danville, West Virginia, 1970s (via vintage everyday)
Watch: Information about coal exports in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
(Source: hychkasiem)
Washington’s coal export terminal proposals are winning the battle for public opinion, a new survey finds. It shows half the state’s residents supporting coal exports and one-third opposed — but the results are nuanced.
The survey was conducted by the non-partisan firm Elway Research and first reported by the online news and opinion site, Crosscut. It asked state residents about two major coal terminals proposed in Washington — one near Bellingham at Cherry Point and one near Longview. They are among the five facilities proposed in the Northwest that would receive coal by the trainload (or the barge-full, under one proposal) and send it across the Pacific Ocean on Asia-bound ships.
Read more at EarthFix…
Portland’s Mayor, Sam Adams, made a video about coal. That’s him in the video, droppin’ the deets.
Can you imagine the major of your town or city making a similar video? Why or why not?
A View From Coal Country, a set by EarthFix on Flickr.
Listen to the accompanying report/ podcast on SoundCloud here: http://snd.sc/SJ3tlLThe bill passed today doesn’t just kick the can down the road – it ties the livelihoods of millions of Americans to the pet projects of the dirty energy industry, including the costly and dangerous Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, and stiff arms public input on transportation projects that will significantly impact communities. Just as reckless, the bill also would also put a weak and dangerous scheme in place that requires more protections on household trash than toxic coal ash, even though coal ash pollution leads to health risks like cancer, neurological disorders, birth defects, reproductive failure, asthma and other serious illnesses. The three million Americans whose jobs are on the line deserve an explanation from Boehner: how does allowing cancer-causing coal ash pollution have anything to do with transportation?
LaHood was critical of the transportation measure that is scheduled to appear before the House on Wednesday.
LaHood called the bill, H.R. 4348, a “big Christmas tree,” but he also the measure would “probably pass.
“They’ve loaded it up with everything they think will assuage their members,” LaHood said of Republican leaders in the House, who have resisted holding a vote on a two-year, $109 billion transportation measure that has been passed by the Senate.
“Look what they’ve loaded it up with,” LaHood continued. “Keystone, coal ash — none of it has anything to do with transportation.”
