Coal exports a concern

Tue., April 23, 2013

As a musician, I have to ask who’s pulling the strings at The Spokesman-Review? A moral belief in holding accountable those who come into our communities and break the law, endangering public health and safety, compels me to disagree with the editorial board’s opinion (“Lawsuit not needed over coal dust,” April 5).

As a father of three, I’m concerned about the dirty coal dust already being found fouling our Northwest waterways (“Groups plan coal train suit,” April 3), because Spokane stands to see an additional 60 coal trains a day with an additional 150 million tons of coal each year if we lock into a dangerous path of coal exports without even examining the potential consequences of all the proposed terminal projects.

Coal exports could be Spokane’s swan song if our leaders don’t take a stronger stand.

Mark Rhodes

Spokane

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