Do we want between 120,000 and 360,000 barrels per day traveling through Washington [state] to a terminal in Vancouver, [Wash.]?
Washingtonians are increasingly familiar with the problems of the proposed coal trains: pollution released into air and water, traffic congestion and the disturbing climate-change impacts.
Most of us are not aware that even if the XL pipeline is not built, other ways will be found to ship tar-sands oil to market. Trains will carry tar-sands oil to the Port of Vancouver, which was just approved by the Port Authority.
On July 6, a runaway train carrying crude oil exploded in the town of Lac-Megantic, Quebec, killing 47 residents. We’ve been told this could not happen.
Coal spills are hard to clean up; oil spill are harder, and heavy tar sands are the hardest to clean up.
As a port state, we are quickly becoming a fossil-fuel corridor for exporting extracted fuels.
Whether burned here or in Asia, these fossil fuels create the same global-warming effects. Let’s not do this! The only benefit is profit to fossil-fuel companies.
Lynn Fitz-Hugh, North Seattle
[[In-content Ad]]