Coal Trains Run into Stiff Resistance in U.S.
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/12/28
Activists say the coal trains lose one pound of toxic dust per car per mile.
Coal Trains Run into Stiff Resistance in U.S.
By Matthew Charles Cardinale
Published on Saturday, December 28, 2013 by Inter Press Service
SPOKANE, Washington -- Citizens and activists in the U.S. Pacific Northwest are fighting three different proposed coal terminals, including one in Oregon and two in Washington.
Meanwhile, three formerly proposed coal terminals have already been defeated. Sierra Clubs Beyond Coal Campaign recently cited these defeats as signs of progress in the broader campaign to retire the use of coal plants across the U.S. altogether.
There are three main reasons we oppose coal exports, Trip Jennings, organizer for Portland Rising Tide, told IPS.
The first reason I think the most important for us is the fact that were closing down power plants in the U.S., he said. Oregon and Washington will be totally coal-free in a number of years. We as a community and as citizens decided we didnt want to burn coal. If we allow corporations to export
it undercuts all the work that weve done to address the climate crisis.