In an announcement that buoyed foes of a proposed coal export terminal near Bellingham, government reviewers of the project said they will consider the global climate impact from burning the coal in China.
Potential climate impact will be among a variety of issues included in the environmental review of the controversial proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal.
Supporters of the proposed terminal were quick to denounce today's announcement.
“Washington state has set a new precedent that could potentially interfere with international commerce laws protecting rail and trade and discourage new business investment in the state,” said a statement from the Alliance for Northwest Jobs & Exports, a business group.
But Cesia Kearns, campaign director for the Power Past Coal campaign, praised the decision.
“This scope is a reflection of Northwest values – the depth and breadth of the scope is absolutely on target and appropriate given the impacts this project would have on our way of life,” she wrote. “Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel by far and we need fully evaluate what coal export would cost Northwest communities.”
The climate change aspect of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be conducted by the state Department of Ecology, which is partnering with the Army Corps of Engineers and Whatcom County.
An Army Corps official had said in June that global climate change would be outside the scope of the study, and the federal agency won't consider climate change in its portion of the study, said Josh Baldi, regional director for Ecology's northwest regional office.
But on the state level, Ecology will investigate the greenhouse gas question.
"The dynamic that is somewhat new here, is that Ecology will look at the product that is exported through the terminal,” Baldi said. “We know this coal will be combusted and there will be climate change impacts.”
The EIS also will investigate potential impacts on human health, and the surrounding environment, from the proposed terminal.
The terminal project is being proposed by SSA Marine Inc., a Seattle-based operator of cargo terminals worldwide.
The project has encountered heated opposition, including 125,000 comments during a public comment period in late 2012. The terminal would export up to 48 million metric tons of coal a year, coming from Wyoming and mostly going to China.
Opponents have expressed concerns about environmental impacts of spillage from up to nine mile-long trains daily, about the economic impacts from congestion in developed areas through which trains will pass.
A statement from the Washington Environmental Council listed impacts from the terminal including: “traffic congestion caused by long coal trains, economic impacts to local communities, health impacts of coal dust and diesel pollution, increased risk to the Salish Sea and the coast from increased coal tanker traffic, and climate pollution caused by burning coal.”
The draft EIS is to be completed in 2014 or later, with a final EIS that year or later.