This Thursday evening, you are invited to learn about the impacts of coal exports trains on our community.

The Power Past Coal Coalition, a coalition of more than 50 organizations, including the Sierra Club, Climate Solutions, Spokane Riverkeeper and The Lands Council, is sponsoring the event to inform the public of coal export proposals in Washington that would have local impacts on Spokane County.

The event takes place this Thursday, October 27th 2011, 5:30 to 8 p.m at The Lincoln Center, 1316 N. Lincoln Street, Spokane, WA, 99201.

Washington has made major strides in ending our reliance on coal by setting a date to move our last coal-fired power plant—TransAlta—off of coal. In what would be a giant step backward, coal companies are now threatening to export tens of millions of tons of coal through the Pacific Northwest to foreign markets.

The coal export terminals proposed in Cherry Point, Gray’s Harbor, and Longview, Washington would draw 50 or more coal trains through communities in Spokane County each more than 1.5 miles long. Local residents are concerned about the health, safety, and economic impacts of these projects, including: diesel pollution and coal dust from many open trains, pollutants which are linked to asthma and lung cancer; the high risk of coal train derailments; noise and property devaluation; and coal trains creating more traffic, blocking emergency vehicles, and limiting access to neighborhoods and businesses.

 

Here are the panelists:

City Council member, Amber Waldref
City Council member, Bob Apple
North Soundkeeper, Matt Krogh.
Dr. Robert Truckner
Robin Everett, Sierra Club

Bart Mihailovich and I will be moderating the forum and you can hear more about it on our radio show at 12:30pm tomorrow on KYRS, 92.3.

I hope you can make it. Here is some more information about Spokane as coal's conveyor belt:

The Problem: Thousands of tons of filthy coal may soon be rolling through Spokane every day. If coal companies have their way, the entire state will be turned into a massive coal shipping zone impacting our way of life and threatening the health of our air, water, and land.

The dirty truth on coal trains coming through Spokane: 130 million tons of coal annually, 30 to 60 trains per day, each train over a mile long, each train loaded with 15,000 tons of coal.

What You Can Do: Please attend our public forum Spokane Coal Hard Truth Forum Lincoln Center 1316 N. Lincoln St. Spokane, Wa October 27, 2011 5:30pm to 8:00pm

More Pollution and Health Effects: These trains would rumble out of Wyoming cutting through Washington belching diesel exhaust, spewing coal dust and diminishing a quality of life that people in Spokane and the Inland Northwest have come to expect. Exporting pollution to Asia means more environmental problems here at home, including contamination of our local air and water. Diesel exhaust emissions from the many trains required to move tens of millions of tons of coal contain more than 40 toxic substances and can cause serious health problems including cancer, asthma, heart attacks, and infant deaths.

More Traffic Congestion and Longer Waits at Railroad Crossings: A 50% increase in the amount of trains through Spokane will further congest traffic at every railroad crossing in Spokane. Spokane has nothing to gain and everything to lose. We are the middle man in this filthy scheme as every coal train heading west will roll through our city. We will see no economic benefit while our aquifer and rivers risk contamination, our air quality will diminish threatening the health of our families and community.

The Solution: STOP THE COAL TRAINS! From Spokane to Seattle, concerned citizens are joining forces to let coal companies know that Washington will not be the conveyor belt for filthy coal. Emissions from coal plants: • cost the U.S. over $62 billion in health care, kill 23,000 people each year, release dangerous pollutants such as mercury, contribute massively to climate change.

To learn more and get involved please contact:

Bart Mihailovich, Spokane Riverkeeper: bart@cforjustice.org

Robin Everett, Sierra Club: robin.everett@sierraclub.org

Mike Petersen, Lands Council: mpetersen@landscouncil.org

Lindsay Arnold, volunteer: larnold@lawschool.gonzaga.edu

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