Trains, TRAINS, COAL TRAINS

Four major coal export terminals are proposed for the Pacific Northwest to ship coal from Montana and Wyoming to Asian markets. These terminals would mean up to 142 million tons of coal each year on mile-long trains.

That means communities along the rail lines would see hours and hours of blocked train crossings, jeopardizing emergency services and public safety, lowering air quality, and cutting off local businesses along the tracks.

The Army Corps of Engineers is on track to act on the permit for the proposed terminal at Port of Morrow without doing a full environmental review.

Two major coal ports in Washington state are going through a full environmental review, but a third port in Oregon will not have an Environmental Impact Statement, unless the Army Corps of Engineers reverses its decision.

In addition, a fourth port is planned in Oregon. Each of these ports would significantly increase the number of coal trains through our region - and their total impact is enormous!

Tell the Army Corps of Engineers to examine coal train traffic in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington caused by coal export plans. Urge your Representative and Senators to encourage the Corps to conduct a full environmental study. You can personalize your messages, if you want.

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Background

On March 6, 2012 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that it is moving forward with permitting the first coal export terminal in Oregon, located at the Port of Morrow. If this project moves forward, the coal company, Ambre Energy would ship Montana and Wyoming coal by rail to the Port of Morrow, move the coal onto barges, ship it up the Columbia River, and then offload the coal onto ocean-going ships at the Port of St. Helens in Oregon.

According to the Corps, there are no plans to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on this permit for the Northwest’s first coal export terminal.

Opening coal export terminals in Washington and Oregon would have enormous impacts on commerce and communities in Montana and Idaho, because of the huge increase in coal train traffic. The Army Corps needs to conduct a full environmental review of this project.

Moreover, the Corps needs to study the cumulative effect of this proposal along with three other major coal export terminals in various stages of planning and permitting on communities and property and waterways along the rail lines all the way back through Idaho and Montana.

To ensure this review accounts for the major cumulative impacts of multiple coal export terminals, the Corps must also prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement that looks at the combined impacts – mine to port – of multiple terminals exporting upwards of 142 million tons of coal per year.

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