In Thomas W. Howell’s Aug. 12 letter, “State can’t afford to lose coal facility,” he would rather trade a few jobs in Longview to export coal to China in exchange for jeopardizing the future of humanity. This is selfish and morally wrong.
Climate change is a serious threat, and the No. 1 cause is CO2 emissions. In addition to the threat of climate change, coal export means 10 mile-long trains passing through Vancouver, causing increased delays at railroad crossings. It means 450,000 pounds of toxic coal dust spewing off these trains annually. Coal dust contains mercury, lead and selenium, threatening our health and damaging our fragile waterways. Coal dust leads to increased asthma, wheezing and coughing in children. I urge you to get involved. Tell your elected officials to say “no” to coal export. Future generations are depending on us to do the right thing. For more facts, go to http://www.coalfreewashington.org.
Virginia Nugent
Vancouver
