The groups filed an 11-page motion with the US Army Corps of Engineers asking it to evaluate the “cumulative and related impacts” of the Millennium, Gateway Pacific and Ambre Energy’s barge-loading terminal at Port Westward as well as the impact of increased mining on the environment and coal supply.
Environmentalists have been calling for a comprehensive review for months but have made the request formal with the motion, adding more fuel to the pushback started by Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber, Washington Governor Jay Inslee and the Washington state Ecology and Natural Resources departments.
“The threats from these coal export proposals connect communities across the region and cannot be overlooked,” Sierra Club Beyond Coal senior campaign representative Cesia Kearns said.
“We have been calling for an area-wide EIS [environmental impact statement] for over a year.
“It’s time for the Army Corps to stop sitting on its hands.”
In addition to the Sierra Club and Greenpeace, the involved groups include Climate Solutions, Columbia Riverkeeper, Friends of the Columbia Gorge, National Wildlife Federation, Northern Plains Resource Council, Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, RE Sources, Washington Environmental Council and Western Organization of Resource Councils.
The groups said they also had the backing of 500 businesses, as well as 160 elected officials, three dozen municipalities, more than 100 organizations, more than a dozen newspapers and about 35,000 citizens.
“Spokane, Washington is hundreds of miles away from the proposed terminals, yet we are ground zero for coal trains,” Spokane city council president Ben Stuckart said.
“If all of the proposed coal terminals were built, Spokane could see 40 mile-and-a-half long coal trains – empty and full – rolling through town every day.
“We can’t just draw a circle around the proposed terminals and study the onsite effects.
“We need to look at impacts and costs to communities all along the rail line and also consider the bigger picture like how burning all that coal would worsen climate change.”
The ACOE is the primary body responsible for permitting the terminals, though Corps officials said in March such a review was unlikely because it was outside of its authority.
Corps spokeswoman Patricia Graesser reportedly said the agency was advancing with individual reviews of the trio of terminals.
