Combating coal

How did an American girl who grew up in Germany end up calling Spokane home and becoming one of the region’s most dedicated conservation advocates? For the past 20 years, Crystal Gartner has lived in Spokane where she has worked for several environmental organizations, including Conservation Northwest where she did outreach on wilderness and wildlife conservation issues. Crystal currently works for the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign where she organizes community opposition to a proposal to transport hundreds of uncovered railroad cars full of coal from Wyoming and Montana through the Spokane region. The Spokane coal train proposal is part of a larger coal industry push to transform the Northwest into a major transport, staging and export center for one of the most polluting and toxic fossil fuels on the planet. Several massive new coal export terminals, where coal would be dumped in huge piles before being shipped to China, are proposed to be built in places like Coos Bay, Oregon, Bellingham, Washington, and along the Columbia River. The transport and export of all this coal is expected to generate dust that would pollute air, water, fisheries, and farmland and threaten the health of people living and working nearby. Crystal’s work with the Sierra Club aims to put Spokane on the map as one of the places here in the Northwest that stood up against and helped stop this polluting coal export scheme. Crystal has been active in giving back to the Spokane region for years, and when not working to protect the Inland Northwest’s wild places and the health and safety of our local communities, she is often out enjoying the quality of life that’s kept her here for two decades. Whether it’s exploring a new restaurant or gallery in the city, or heading out for a hike, snowshoe, or day of skiing in the mountains, Crystal is dedicated to living a full and meaningful life here in Spokane and helping to make that dream possible for others. Where did you grow up and when did you come to Spokane? My parents were educators who moved overseas in their 20s to work for the American school system, and I grew up in Germany. I went to elementary school with kids from all over the world. When I visited family in “the States,” it was like an adventure to any other country. I moved to Spokane from Germany in 1993, because my mother was here, and I figured it would be a good place to find my footing before moving on to a bigger city. But I’ve been here ever since. Have you always been into the natural world and protecting our environment? Yes, always. Teach an imaginative child empathy with free time to climb trees, observe bugs, and play in all kinds of weather, and I guess you get someone who appreciates the complexity and delicacy of the natural world. I’ll never forget the first time I wandered into an American forest and spent hours just watching. German forests were full of the magic of fairy tales, but this Northwest forest was alive with the drama of real-life wild creatures, and I felt like I was part of it. I also went to high school next to nuclear missiles during the Cold War, and we didn’t question that. I think that’s weird. My grandfather died from leukemia, probably because of the DDT he used liberally around his farm when they said it was safe. Same with my mom who died prematurely—she became addicted to smoking while the tobacco companies were making sure Americans continued to assume the product was safe. I just think it’s important to pay attention and root out the truth when one’s health and powerful interests are involved. What is it that keeps you motivated to stop the proposed coal exports out of the Northwest? I love the Northwest and Spokane is my home. I want to see it grow and not regress. Our “Near Nature, Near Perfect” motto is also a reality that attracts people and new business. Coal is the most polluting, carbon-intensive fossil fuel there is, and we don’t need to let this dirty industry damage our image, quality of life, and health the way they have in other parts of the country. Running all these train cars loaded with coal through the heart of our city would threaten our arts and entertainment district that has helped turn Spokane into a convention and tourism destination. It’s also a global issue, with coal burning being the single largest contributor to the climate crisis. Spokane shouldn’t be forced to play a role in this unethical scheme. This issue is also very personal to me. I run on the Bluff trails off High Drive, bicycle the Centennial Trail, work downtown, live near the rail line—the last thing I want is to be breathing this stuff 24/7. What is the top concern people here in Spokane should have with the proposed coal shipments? The health of our families. There are hundreds of physicians on record stating numerous serious health risks related to the transportation and shipment of coal. These doctors agree; diesel particulate and coal dust can kill. So can a delay of seconds or minutes when the ambulance or fire truck has to wait or re-route around an at-grade crossing because another mile-long coal train is rolling through. Diesel emissions and coal dust from the dozens of extra coal trains these terminals would bring through our community each day are linked to cancer, asthma, heart attack, infant death, and lung disease in children. That’s why the Spokane City Council voted unanimously to pass a resolution calling for the potential impacts to Spokane to be studied. What does an average day on the job with the Beyond Coal campaign look like? I work with some pretty amazing people from around the Spokane region who volunteer their personal time because they are so concerned about this issue. With their help, I work to inform local people from many different walks of life about the impacts these coal trains will have and engage them in helping to keep this from happening. I spend a lot of time working with elected officials and community leaders, using social media, and running phone banks and neighborhood canvases. Basically connecting with as many people in the community as I can. What can people do to make a difference on the coal issue? Submit a comment letter asking the US Army Corps to study the impacts of coal trains and coal exports locally or sign up to volunteer by going to CoalFreeWashington.org. It’s also critical that people attend the public hearing on Dec. 4 at the Spokane County Fairgrounds Plaza, 404 N Havana St, Spokane, 4-7 p.m. We’ll also have a pre-hearing workshop on Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 5 p.m. at the Community Building, 35 W. Main, Spokane. People can RSVP at PowerPastCoal.org or by e-mailing me: crystal.gartner@sierraclub.org