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Terminal lawyers up for EIS
On Gateway Pacific Terminal’s “Environment” page, they proclaim they “embrace the Pacific Northwest environmental ethic in everything we do.” Yet, when the Washington Department of Ecology announced its scope of review for the environmental impact statement, Gateway didn’t embrace it. Rather, they issued a statement from Foster Pepper, a Seattle law firm representing developers and the transportation industry, which stated, “Ecology’s scoping decision gives rise to a host of legal and policy issues.”
Foster Pepper is more than ready to address those legal and policy issues. Of its 124 attorneys, 19 are in the environmental law division, and they “all … have extensive litigation experience …” This firm has many useful areas of specialization for Gateway and BNSF Railway Co., including “experience in condemnation and eminent domain … unmatched throughout the region,” which should come in handy when our pesky homes, farms and businesses get in the way of necessary rail expansion.
Lest you worry about Gateway and BNSF execs tiring from litigating and condemning, know that Foster Pepper is a member of the International Superyacht Society and stands ready to broker any and all transactions. They even deliver.
That’s Gateway embracing our environmental ethic.
Valerie Waley
Spokane