From Crosscut.com
By Floyd McKay
“A new study of rail transportation problems associated with the transport of millions of tons of coal from the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Montana to proposed export terminals in the Pacific Northwest was released today in Montana, citing “a huge, huge increase in volume that we’ve never seen in this part of the world.”
…
“Concerns about rail traffic have dominated much of the discussion of the export terminals in recent weeks, but other concerns dealing with marine traffic, air and water pollution, fisheries issues, and local economies will come to the fore in the next several weeks as environmental review begins on the largest of the six Northwest terminals, Gateway Pacific Terminal at Cherry Point north of Bellingham. The process of scoping — determining the boundaries of environmental studies — is expected to begin about Sept. 1 and last 60 to 120 days.
“It is during these scoping hearings that the extent of examination of rail impacts will be determined. Despite a widespread call for inclusion of rail impacts, terminal operator SSA Marine has insisted that environmental review be contained to the terminal site itself. Lead agencies — Whatcom County and the Washington Department of Ecology for the state study and the Corps of Engineers for the federal government — will determine the scope.
“Environmental review, contracted to the engineering firm CH2M Hill, is expected to take up to two years. The Cherry Point application is the furthest-along of the Washington proposals.”
To read the full article, go to crosscut.com/2012/07/12/coal-ports/109550/coal-ports-trains
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