Washington Ecology Dept Joins Enviros in Suing to Stop Coal Depot in Longview. But There's More!

I don’t have a lot of time to spend on this except to say that it raised my eyebrows a little when I saw this story here that the Washington State Department of Ecology is suing to stop a coal depot in Longview, joining the rest of the far left enviro groups in opposing it.

Are they mining for coal around Cowlitz County? No. Are they polluting the Columbia with coal in Cowlitz County? No.

The Dept of Ecology wants to know the environmental impact on WHERE. THE. COAL. IS. GOING.

And where is this coal, mined in Wyoming and Montana, going?

China.

In the original complaint, the coalition claimed the permit for the facility did not consider the greenhouse gas impacts of burning coal in Asia, the effects of increasing a demand for U.S. coal, and the emissions and environmental impacts associated with transporting the coal.

Nice photo, Lynn Topinka!

This coalition of the usual enviro left includes Earthjustice, the Washington Environmental Council and The Sierra Club , Climate Solutions and Columbia Riverkeeper. They’re going to the Shores Council to appeal the Cowlitz County Commissioner’s decision recently to approve the 416 acrew project “asserting the facility would threaten public health and runs counter to state efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions.” In fact, they want to stop any fuel that would create ANY environmental impact ANYWHERE in the world.

In their own ‘news’ article here they say they don’t want to see any outsourcing of fossil fuels to any country because it’s, “offshoring carbon.”

“…isn’t it hypocrisy of the highest order for Northwest states to cover themselves in green, campaign to close coal-burning plants in the region and encourage renewable energy use while at the same time enabling companies to ship fossil fuels overseas so that it can be used to pollute the atmosphere on the other side of the world? Where is the line drawn between private enterprise, economic development, the public interest and environmental responsibility?”

Earth Justice thinks it’s their call. Not yours.

“Cowlitz County Board Chair George Raiter last month welcomed the project and the 70 jobs it’s expected to bring to Longview: “If I were to choose an expansion of jobs in this county, I’d choose all those great high-tech companies. But they’re not here. These people are here and personally I’m happy to see someone come in and develop that site, clean it up and start creating some more jobs for our citizens here.” Cowlitz County has one of the highest unemployment rates in Washington at 11 percent.”

And remember, these guys want the environmental impact of the transporting of the coal to be burned in China included in the state and local reports:

Coalition member Washington Environmental Council adds, “The coal shipped through this one facility [and used in China] would create more emissions [in China] than the entire city of Seattle [if it were burned there but it’s not] and more than any single facility in the state [if it were burned there but it’s not]. Is this the kind of future we want for our region? [sending coal we won’t burn to other areas that will burn it?] We need to decide – other coal companies are already lining up with their own proposals [to send coal somewhere else to be burned].”

So let me see if I have this straight: We can’t transport coal. We can’t distribute it. We can’t export it. We can’t import it. We can’t burn it. So why mine it? Exactly.

Tell ’em where you saw it. Http://www.victoriataft.com