News

Exporting Montana coal does not lead to prosperity

Burning coal is not in Montana’s interest, wherever it occurs. We need a transition away from fossil fuels. The consequences of inaction are too great to ignore. Those who want to export coal are passing the buck, letting future generations deal with the consequences.

Enabling coal exports clouds environmental and economic goals

If the United States is serious about combating the perils of climate change through economic and environmental transformation, should we really be encouraging the export of American coal to Asian markets?

Port of Vancouver dodges coal; embraces food production

Faced with a choice of helping to grow food or feed industry, the Port of Vancouver picked a fertilizer ingredient over the dirtiest fossil fuel on the planet.

Letter to the editor: Just say no to coal

The coal saved by the transformation of our energy supply should stay in the ground, not go to fuel the Asian industrial machine.

Is that COAL? Really? Oh my.

If you didn’t see the Sunday print edition of the Seattle Times, you should. The online version doesn’t begin to do it justice. Coal export – even when managed diligently, honestly, and with a smile – is an epic mess. This is not us.

If coal is so dirty that Washington shouldn't use it, should the state serve as a conduit for shipping it overseas?

"We know that it's a big decision and it's in our midst," said KC Golden, policy director for Climate Solutions. "And we know the likely consequences of getting it wrong."

Company to resubmit permit for coal-shipping port

"Millennium withdrawing their permit application after the true size of their proposal was revealed just goes to show how much they'd misrepresented their intentions," said Becky Kelley with the Washington Environmental Council.

State weighs Millennium offer, but appeal likely to stand

The state Department of Ecology has "a considerable problem" with a settlement offer from Millennium Bulk Logistics to delay coal exports west of Longview but hasn't yet decided whether to accept it, an agency spokeswoman said Thursday.

The U.S., China, and climate: Locke in the hot seat

When Gary Locke arrives in the birthplace of his parents to represent the United States, he comes with one of the greatest demonstrated commitments to climate and clean energy, and one of the most solid track records of accomplishment of any American political leader. We could not have a better representative in Beijing.

Transitioning Washington off coal and investing in the community

One area that I’m most excited about with the agreement with TransAlta to transition off coal: a requirement that TransAlta will invest tens of millions of dollars into creating new economic opportunities in Lewis County.

Phase-out for Washington’s biggest polluter

Washington’s biggest emitter of air pollution, the Trans-Alta coal plant in Centralia, will soon cut its nitrogen oxide emissions and then permanently shut its giant boilers in 2020 and 2025, in a far-reaching accord announced Saturday.

Peabody defends Asian coal shipments in West Coast port battle

"We can't focus on developing clean energy as just a green hood ornament for the big Humvee of the fossil fuel economy," said Ross Macfarlane, a senior adviser at Climate Solutions.

Gateway Pacific terminal at Cherry Point starts permit process

The terminal's most likely use is for coal exports, and coal trains through the city would mean traffic disruptions, public spending on safety improvements, lost property values, disruption of business activity, and pollution from both coal dust and diesel locomotive exhaust.

Millennium internal e-mail reveals goal of 80 million tons in annual coal exports

Millennium Bulk Terminals hopes to export 80 million of coal through a proposed facility west of Longview, nearly 15 times more than the company originally stated in a permit, according to internal company e-mails obtained by The Daily News on Thursday

Hearing on US-Asia coal port in Longview cancelled; company sought 80M tons/year capacity

A hearing on the proposal set for Friday before a regulatory panel was cancelled following accusations that the port backers concealed plans for a much larger project along the Columbia River north of Portland, Ore.

Protesters rally in Salt Lake City against coal-export plan

Clean-energy backers rallied outside the Salt Lake City office of an Australian company seeking permits to build a coal-exporting terminal in Longview, Wash.

Coal plans raise questions for Bellingham

The link between mines and ports is over a thousand miles of railroad, and the impact of the mile-long coal trains is beginning to create pushback along the line -- including in Bellingham, one of the cities most impacted by any additional rail traffic — tracks run directly through some of the city's most valuable property.

Coal port protesters gather in Kelso

Protesters dressed in black gathered on the steps of the Cowlitz County Administration Building in Kelso, carrying signs blasting Millennium as "liars." They said they were worried the terminal would provide coal for China, pollution in Longview and profits for Australia-based Millennium.

Coal costs US public up to $500 billion annually

A new study is the first to look at the major costs of coal from extraction to combustion. Those costs come from increased health care costs, deaths and injuries that result from mining and transporting coal, and the emissions generated during the coal's combustion.

Longview coal port: a big plan well hidden

New documents show that an Australian company is planning to ship much more coal to China through Longview than it acknowledged. State and local officials may have been deliberately deceived.