These are the facts. Clark County doesn’t get jobs or money. Coal companies lie about the amount of jobs when, in fact, wherever coal travels there is a net loss of jobs. Coal causes property values to plummet, businesses to leave, no new housing starts, drop in real estate sales, congested crossings where the proposed 20 coal trains a day drop 500 pounds (BNSF figures) of coal dust on Clark County cities. Coal dust on tracks cause derailments. Huge danger of derailments (BNSF records) with 16 since 2010.
Who will pay to clean up all the coal dust? We, the taxpayers. Who pays for the increased infrastructure costs? The taxpayer. Who pays for the increased costs of coal-related health issues?
Our cities will have decreased tax revenue due to the cost of dirty coal. Coal trains at about three a day pass through Clark County. Go to http://www.coaltrainfacts.org and http://www.coalfreenorthwest.org for the true facts about the cost we, the citizens, will pay for dirty coal.
Urge Vancouver City Council to sign the same document that Camas and Washougal have with an expanded environmental impact statement including impact to cities and humans by coal dust. The smaller EIS is what coal wants because it only looks at the impact to the port.
