Coal Wars: Export Backers Push Jobs and Try to Limit Environmental Review

Part One of a Three-Part Series

Supporters of a coal port near Bellingham want to keep the focus on what they see as the main issues: More jobs and revenue for local governments.

By Floyd McKay
From Crosscut.com

An unprecedented series of seven statewide public forums on a proposed coal-export terminal north of Bellingham drew nearly 9,000 people to crowded hearings. Most of the big companies, public agencies and opposition groups weighed in with much less fanfare. At the agencies charged with an environmental review of the Gateway Pacific Terminal approach a first benchmark, a summary of some 124,000 comments, Crosscut today begins a three-part analysis of those last-minute comments from major players. Today, we look at the corporations seeking the terminal.

Peabody Coal calls it a “life cycle” analysis and SSA Marine says it’s a “lifespan” review, but by any name or description it’s what most concerns the big companies pushing coal-export terminals in Washington.

That’s clear in voluminous official comments from Peabody, SSA and the BNSF Railway made at the close of public scoping testimony in January. Those comments are now in the cross-hairs of three public agencies charged with determining what must be studied in a complex environmental review of the Gateway Pacific Terminal (GPT). The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Whatcom County and State Department of Ecology are collaborating as the lead agencies on the review.

There are wide-ranging implications in a so-called “life cycle” or “lifespan” environmental review. It would go beyond the usual examinations of the immediate environmental effects of a project in its own area to look potentially at regional and even national and international effects.

To read the full article, go to crosscut.com/coal-ports-arguments-peabody-gateway

The second article in this series will be posted tomorrow. It will look at the opponents of this project. The third part will examine the public agencies involved.