Blog
More Problems with Coal Exports in the Northwest
By Brendan Bishop
October 24, 2011
The Oregon International Port of Coos Bay has recently signed an exclusive negotiating agreement with an unnamed coal company. This company has expressed a strong interest in shipping coal from the North Spit of Coos Bay to Asian Markets.
Project Mainstay, the code name for one of the proposed plans for shipment of coal, won approval by the port commissioners which would allow for six – ten million tons of coal to be shipped per year. What is next? The Port and Project Mainstay will be given six months to research the actual feasibility of the project. Within the six months, the port CAN NOT negotiate with any other interested parties. The proposal is still confidential and nobody within the environmental community is sure when more information, including the name of the coal company, will be made public.
The timing of this announcement could not have come at a worse time for the coal polluters. Power Shift, which brings together thousands of young environmental activists to demand a change in energy policy, will be convening again, but this time in Eugene, Oregon. Students and environmental leaders from the West coast and beyond will have a chance to discuss Oregon’s role in the debate over whether Oregon should become the U.S. coal export headquarters. Our voices cannot be ignored. Oregon and the Northwest should remain an environmental beacon, NOT ground zero for coal exports to China. To read the full article, go here: http://theworldlink.com/news/local/article_16869cbf-f325-54f1-920a-52778a5889e8.html
To register for Power Shift West Coast, go here: http://west.wearepowershift.org/
