Portland Commissioner Preparing Anti-Coal Resolution

Later this month, Portland, Oregon could become the latest city in the Pacific Northwest to officially oppose the possibility of new coal exports through the region.

Portland Commissioner Amanda Fritz says she’s preparing a resolution to oppose the prospect of more coal trains traveling through the city.

Fritz, who made the revelation during an anti-coal rally in front of the Portland office of the Army Corps of Engineers, said she expects to present the resolution during the Sept. 19 Portland City Council meeting.

“We’re looking at the strongest resolution we can get passed,” she said at the Aug. 28 rally, which attracted about 150 people.

About 20 other Pacific Northwest cities and counties have already passed resolutions either opposing coal exports outright or raising concerns about it, including Seattle, where the City Council unanimously passed an anti-coal resolution May 29.

Other municipalities that have also passed anti-coal measures include Hood River, Oregon and three Washington cities, Camas, Marysville and Washougal.

The backlash is in response to the proposed development of about half a dozen coal export terminals through the Pacific Northwest, where coal would be brought in from other parts of the county by rail, then shipped to Asia. Among the largest proposals is one at the Port of Longview, where Millennium Bulk Terminals has applied for permits to build a $600 million terminal in a bid to become one of the biggest coal exporters in North America.

Several of the other larger coal export related port expansions are also now undergoing the formal permitting process, including Gateway Pacific Terminal at Cherry Point in Washington state; Kinder Morgan Terminals at St. Helen’s, Oregon; and Coyote Island Terminal at the Port of Morrow.

Opponents of the proposed terminals have raised concerns about potential rail congestion and environmental damage, specifically the possibility of coal dust escaping from inbound trains and harming the local air quality.

Proponents however, have said that measures would be taken to ensure that dust would not escape, but that the terminals could bring hundreds of temporary and permanent jobs to the region.

Port of Coos Bay in Negotiations for Coal Terminal

The Port of Coos Bay is in talks with a shipper regarding the possibility of bringing a coal export terminal onto its property to export anywhere from six to 10 million thermal tons of coal annually to Asian countries.

The port hasn’t publicly revealed the name of the shipping company. Port CEO Jeff Bishop has said that such a terminal could aid in the funding of other regional developments, such as improvements to the Coos Bay Rail Link.

Railroad service was recently restored to the Coos Bay area, but according to a report by Bishop, the Coos Bay Rail Link would need “huge” capital infrastructure improvements before it could accept cargo trains on anything more than a very limited capacity.

“Any projections … regarding railcar volumes are premature, especially due to the traffic capacity constraints on the Coos Bay rail line,” the report reads in part. “The rail line has finite capacity. This differentiates us from other proposed coal terminals located alongside major railroads.”

Currently, the only coal export terminal on the West Coast is in British Columbia.

Environmental group the Sierra Club has already expressed opposition to the possible terminal, saying that the addition of mile-long coal trains would have an adverse affect on vehicular traffic, plus create environmental, safety and health hazards.

The arrival of one coal train per day would create 100 ship calls per year, Bishop said.