The handwriting is on the wall for coal. Or, to be more precise, the handwriting has been on the wall for several years.
Large coal companies, such as Peabody Energy, are acutely aware of this, but they don’t want to admit or hear the truth — which is that coal is an extremely dirty form of energy. Proof of this is that Peabody is spending millions in legal costs on court fights, while being more than a billion dollars in debt. Oh, yeah, the company is also bankrupt. Apparently, Peabody hasn’t heard the old story that says if you find yourself digging a hole and getting deeper, stop digging.
Clark County and Southwest Washington citizens can help drive a nail into Big Coal’s coffin by attending a public hearing on the draft environmental impact statement for a proposed Longview coal export terminal on May 24, or by emailing their comments (http://www.millenniumbulkeiswa.gov/).
Coal trains travel down the Columbia River Gorge and through Vancouver on their way north, so if you live here, you have a stake in this fight. Get involved, because it affects everyone’s quality of life.
