Army Corps of Engineers keep their heads in the sand
I am appalled by the short-sightedness that the Army Corps of Engineers has decided that they will not collectively consider the effects that all three of the remaining proposed sites for coal terminals will have on many northwest communities, and the world.
In “Crosscut.com” they wrote on June 18 (htp://crosscut.com/2013/06/18/coal-ports/115070/federal-decision-hands-coal-ports-big-victory/): “The Corps will limit consideration to the facilities, but effects of the burning of the coal is too far removed from our actions to be considered as an effect of our actions,” said Jennifer Moyer, the Corps’ acting chief of regulatory programs.
This organization doesn’t seem to realize we are on the same planet and there is a jet stream blowing from Asia to the U.S.
We get Asia’s pollution blown over the Pacific to many communities on the west coast.
When we find mercury and other toxic elements in the sediment of Washington lakes with coal markers from Montana, having been burned in Asia, we have a problem.
The bigger problem is the volume of coal that might actually be burned adding even more greenhouse gases and critically hastening climate change.
The Army Corps of Engineers has abdicated their public and planetary responsibility in closing their eyes to what is happening on our planet.
As the polar ice caps and glaciers melt, the rising seas are already threatening low-lying islands and coastal lands.
If shipping companies look with glee at the opening of a northern sea route, they should look again with caution.
As temperatures change in the north so do weather patterns bringing more powerful storms and an unknown future for everyone.