Tagged: Coal Exports

The debate over proposed coal export terminals in the Northwest is heating up again after the governors of Washington and Oregon sent a letter to the White house on the issue.

The governors of Washington and Oregon are urging the White House to evaluate the effects of greenhouse gas emissions from leasing and exporting the nation's coal.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber called on the federal government to examine the consequences coal leasing and coal exports will have on global greenhouse gas emissions and air quality. They sent a joint letter Monday to the President's Council on Environmental Quality.

It was one of the biggest outpourings of environmental activism that Seattle has seen since the WTO protests more than a decade ago.

At Freeway Park, a giant balloon shaped like an asthma inhaler floated above a sea of red shirts and banners from the Sierra Club. There was also a giant salmon puppet accompanied by schools of ailing herring and a sad-looking polar bear. And a white-haired lady dressed like Santa held a sign that said, "SAVE MY NORTH POLE." 

Seattle is bracing for a big hearing.

Thousands of people are expected to turn out Thursday for a chance to testify about the proposed coal export terminal at Cherry Point, north of Bellingham.

Though they say it’s better than any Republican alternative, many activists have been disappointed in the environmental policies of the Obama administration.

Now that the election’s over, we caught up with one of the state’s most prominent environmental thinkers to get his take on what’s in store for the next four years.