The Seattle Times is reporting that Arch Coal Inc., a Midwest based mining company, has a deal in place to ship coal from Wyoming to markets in Asia via a British Columbia port near Prince Rupert, B.C.
In related news, Arch also recently announced a partnership with Millennium Bulk Logistics, an energy company with plans to send coal to Asia through the Port of Longview in Southwest Washington.
The proposal to ship coal through the Port of Longview has drawn the ire of environmental activists, claiming the Port and Millennium failed to complete an adequate environmental analysis. The Activist claim, in-part, that the environmental review didn’t sufficiently consider the impacts of the coal outside of the region. Although the permit was approved by local policymakers, the project is on hold while activists appeal to the state’s Shoreline Hearings Board.
As the Hearings Board considers the adequacy of the environmental review, it shouldn’t be lost on policymakers here in Washington the news that coal is being shipped from other ports on the West coast.
A key question policymakers will have to answer moving forward is: Are we willing to ship coal and create jobs, or are we only willing to ship out jobs to other places more willing to ship coal, like British Columbia?
