China Export Coal

[Gilbert B Norman]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/15/us/15coal.html

Brief passage;

• SEATTLE — A plan to build the United States’ first West Coast facility for exporting coal to Asia has come under increased scrutiny after the disclosure of documents suggesting that the company proposing the project did not convey the full scope of its plans to state regulators here in Washington.
  
  The project, which would be built on the Columbia River in Longview, Wash., received preliminary approval from Cowlitz County commissioners late last year but has been delayed by a legal challenge by environmentalists.
  
  They claim that supporters of the facility — which would transfer coal brought by train from Montana and elsewhere to barges bound for China and other parts of Asia — have not adequately measured the pollution that could be caused by shipping the coal and then burning it overseas.

What would be the likely routing for such shipments; it appears that access to the Powder River fields has been built by both BNSF and UP predecessors with Eastward shipments in mind.

Of course, insofar as the environmentalists are concerned, there will be no routing. But so far as I'm concerned, America has more coal than the Arabs hav oil; so lets dig it - and ship it by rail!!

[murt]

That is one way to look at it Sir. But the issue at hand is the applicant trying to proverbially "slip one in when they aren't looking".
Washington State does take it seriously when this is done, and it reflects badly on the applicant. They are only giving fuel to the
environmentalists whom you scoff at, through this misdoing, or at the very least, severe oversight of theirs.