This is a call to action in the latest battle against coal export from the Pacific Northwest. On August 16, we entered a crucial new stage of the Millennium Bulk Terminal proposal in Longview, Washington: a three-month period of public comment. This comment (called scoping) period, which continues until November 16, is the process through which anyone can submit comments and anyone who attends a public hearing can give testimony to shape the scope of the environmental review process.
The agencies in charge of the review process, known as the co-lead agencies, are the Army Corps of Engineers, Cowlitz County, and Washington’s Department of Ecology.
Millennium Bulk is one of three active proposals for coal export facilities in the continental United States. It would be located on the Columbia River, 50 miles north of Portland, Oregon, and would have an export capacity of 44 million metric tons of coal a year. The coal would arrive by trains from the Powder River Basin area in Wyoming and Montana, and leave by barge, headed for coal-fired power generators in Asia.
At its destination, this coal would become approximately 125 million tons of atmospheric carbon dioxide annually. By comparison, the emissions from tar sands oil if the Keystone XL pipeline is approved could reach a projected 181 million annual tons of CO2. The companies behind the Millennium Bulk proposal are Arch Coal, Ambre Energy and the Millennium Bulk Terminals-Longview corporation.
A similarly sized proposal, the Gateway Pacific Terminal, north of Bellingham, Washington, was met with astounding public opposition during its scoping period: nearly 125,000 comments were submitted in writing, and thousands of people attended the public hearings. People were overwhelmingly against the proposals for wide-ranging reasons, spanning from the concern over climate change to pollution of waterways to the potential toll on the physical and mental health of people exposed to increased rail traffic.
Nearly every critique of the GPT proposal is applicable to the Millennium Bulk plan as well; the results would be doubly severe if both projects were approved. The Army Corps of Engineers has thus far rejected calls for a cumulative review of the impacts of these proposals together, but here’s another occasion to ask them for it.
A scoping comment is most effective when it conforms to the language of the co-lead agencies. Spoken testimony at hearings is often timed, and people typically get no longer than two minutes to speak. So if you have particular expertise about, or personal experience with any potential impact from the terminal, be as specific as possible and include your credentials. The Department of Ecology’s websiteprovides the following criteria for comments:
In scoping, the lead agencies seek comments that will guide their decision on how the Environmental Impact Statement will address:
• A reasonable range of alternatives for the proposals.
• Potentially affected resources and the extent to which the EIS should analyze those resources.
• Identifying significant unavoidable adverse impacts.
• Measures to avoid, minimize and mitigate effects caused by the proposals.
Information on the upcoming hearings are as follows:
• Sept. 17 (noon - 8 p.m.) — Cowlitz Expo Center, Longview
• Open house from 12 to 8 p.m.
• Oral comment periods from 1 to 4 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m.
• Sept. 25 (4 to 8 p.m.) — Spokane Convention Center, Spokane
• Open house from 4 to 8 p.m.
• Oral comment period from 5 to 8 p.m.
• Oct. 1 (4 to 8 p.m.) — The Trac Center, Pasco
• Open house from 4 to 8 p.m.
• Oral comment period from 5 to 8 p.m.
• Oct. 9 (noon - 8 p.m.) — Clark County Fairgrounds, Vancouver
• Open house from 12 to 8 p.m.
• Oral comment periods from 1 to 4 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m.
• Oct. 17 (4 to 8 p.m.) — Tacoma Convention Center, Tacoma
• Open house from 4 to 8 p.m.
• Oral comment period from 5 to 8 p.m.
Comments can also be submitted until November 16 through the following channels:
• Via the official EIS website established by the three agencies for the EIS process: www.millenniumbulkeiswa.gov
• By email: comments@millenniumbulkeiswa.gov
• By U.S. mail: Millennium Bulk Terminals-Longview EIS, c/o ICF International, 701 Second Avenue, Suite 550, Seattle, WA 98104
We need a massive and varied chorus of voices to oppose this proposal. The impacts of the Millennium Bulk Terminal would not be bound by state, region, or country. Let the opposition be so wide-reaching instead.
3 WAYS TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT
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