I read with interest the Sept. 27 Associated Press story “Panel ups stance on climate change.” It is difficult to doubt any longer that the climate is changing and that human activity is accelerating it. Many wishful thinkers and the fossil fuel industry would like us to ignore the science and resist changing our carbon-burning habits. We cannot do that any more.
A very positive development on a national scale is that the U.S. is reducing its use of coal, decreasing CO2 emissions in our atmosphere. Unfortunately, however, coal companies want to sell coal to Asia, and Millennium Bulk Terminals-Longview (owned primarily by an Australian company) has proposed a new coal export terminal in Longview to ship it abroad.
This proposal would have harmful economic and health effects on local communities as it is shipped to Longview by rail. Burning it would contribute to mounting greenhouse gases. We cannot afford to let this go forward. We can speak out against this proposal at a hearing on Oct. 9 at Clark County Fairgrounds, or we can send in comments to the Washington State Department of Ecology and the Army Corps of Engineers.
Diana Gordon
washougal
