Coal plans raise questions for Bellingham
—
filed under:
Washington
By
Floyd McKay
Crosscut
February 23, 2011
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.
International mining giants that hope to sell more American coal to fuel the power plants and factories of China have their eyes set on Washington state ports to load the huge ships. But 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.
