After a presentation advocating against building a dry-goods export terminal at Cherry Point, Meridian/Cordata Neighborhood Association co-President Beverly Jacobs announced the association would not take a side on the coal train debate until members heard both sides of the story.
David Culver from Protect Whatcom gave the presentation at the Meridian/Cordata Neighborhood Association meeting on Feb. 14.
Culver’s aim was to gain support for the movement against the Gateway Pacific export terminal at Cherry Point by highlighting the potential negative health and environmental impacts that could come along with building the terminal and using it to ship coal to China.
Jacobs said she invited SSA Marine, the company behind the Cherry Point project, to speak at a neighborhood association meeting in September. The association will not make a decision until they hear from SSA Marine, she said.
“Mr. Culver gave a good presentation tonight but it’s only one side of the story,” Jacobs said. “We, as a neighborhood association, will not endorse one side or the other until we can evaluate what both sides have to say. [Culver’s] presentation did a good job of highlighting some of the environmental and health risks of the project but we also need to hear about the economic benefits and what SSA Marine is going to do to offset their impact.”
The terminal could have economic benefits for Whatcom County by creating 4,400 jobs during construction and 1,250 ongoing jobs after the facility is completed, according to Gateway Pacific.
Those jobs could help families in the Cordata neighborhood who are struggling to find employment or want to work for higher salaries, Jacobs said.
Culver said the economic benefits that the terminal could present do not outweigh the health and environmental issues that would come along with it.
The first issue is with the trains, Culver said.
If the proposed terminal gets the green light, this would mean an additional 18 trains loaded with coal passing through Bellingham daily, he said.
Nine trains would come through Bellingham to drop the coal off at Cherry Point. They would then turn around and pass through Bellingham again for their return trip to the coal source in Powder River Basin, Wyoming.
The trains could affect both the quality of life and quality of health in the community, Culver said.
Values of properties near the train tracks could fall due to the increased noise caused by the additional trains and respiratory illnesses such as asthma could become more common due to the coal dust coming off the uncovered trains, he said.
Culvers claim is supported by Whatcom Docs, a group of approximately 200 licensed medical practitioners throughout Whatcom County who have banded together in opposition of the terminal, saying it could lead to an increase in respiratory conditions, cancer, and other ailments.
The additional trains would also cause traffic buildups at railway crossings that would not only be cumbersome, but dangerous, Culver said.
“Imagine that your child is in the back of an ambulance on the way to the hospital and the ambulance has to stop and wait for a 1.5 mile long train to pass by,” I know it’s not a pleasant thought, but unfortunately it could become a reality if [the terminal] is built.”
Culver also highlighted some of the environmental risks that are associated with building the terminal.
One of the environmental concerns involves an additional 487 ships per year coming through the Strait of Juan de Fuca and into Cherry Point, he said.
While the ships themselves would cause pollution through their exhaust, the effects of a ship spilling its contents into the Puget Sound need to be evaluated to assess the risk to the marine ecosystem, he said.
Ships could also introduce invasive species from China through ballast water taken into the ships hull at port to keep the ship stable out at sea, Culver said. Regulations mandate that this water be dumped before ships enter the Puget Sound but if the seas are rough they are allowed to enter with it and dump it at their destination port, in this case, Cherry Point.
Invasive species introduced by ballast water have unpredictable effects on ecosystems and are often costly to clean up and manage, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
After Culvers presentation, he encouraged the meeting attendees to get involved by voicing their concerns during the comment and review process.
To build the terminal, SSA Marine must first obtain two permits from Whatcom County in addition to two permits from the federal government.
After they apply for the county permits, the public will be allowed to highlight their concerns on what should be evaluated when the environmental impact is assessed.
The floor should be open for comment mid-to-late spring depending on when SSA Marine files for permits, Culver said. This is the best way for neighborhood residents to have their concerns voiced and become a part of the movement against the Gateway Pacific Terminal at Cherry Point, he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment