Letter to the Editor: Winning fight against coal

Last week two significant events happened in the fight against coal exports through the Gorge.

In Washington the State Department of Ecology and Cowlitz County announced they will conduct a broad study of the proposed coal export terminal on the Columbia River in Longview.

This will include coal dust impacts, rail traffic and the effects of coal burned in China on Washington State.

This is very good.

In Oregon the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) told Ambre Energy that they need to file a rigorous water quality permit to transport coal by river barge. That is good too but at the same time DEQ issued three air and water permits for the same project, that is bad.

Please call Governor Kitzhaber’s office at 503-378-4582 and leave the message “keep dirty coal out of Oregon.”

The takeaway? On balance we are winning the fight against dirty coal but we need to keep working it.

Peter Cornelison

Friends of the Columbia Gorge

Hood River