Last week the Bellingham City Club hosted an event open for community members to hear and ask questions about the proposed coal/dry commodities terminal at Cherry Point. The room was filled to capacity, with 250 seated at tables and at least another 50 standing around. I estimate there were somewhere between 50-100 people in line who were turned away because of fire code restrictions, not to mention those who didn't even bother to get in line but just turned away on hearing the meeting was closed, and for a meeting at 11:30 on a Wednesday no less!
The panel was made up of Craig Cole and Bob Watters representing the interests of SSA Marine to develop the site and of Bob Ferris and Matt Krogh of Re-Sources who expressed several objections to the project.
The Bellingham City Club has posted the video of the event online, and I think it is well worth watching. I don't know if all of the Q&A was filmed, but I took fairly extensive notes and can relay them along with my observations and perceptions.
Here is the video:
http://kvos247.com/video.php?vid=ea23d08e5
And please note that there is an event this Wednesday at the Bellingham Public Library on the terminal, and that Bellingham mayor Dan Pike will be there!
https://transitionwhatcom.ning.com/events/the-coal-hard-truth-forum
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Hi Eric! Thanks for posting the video to the April coal meeting-
http://kvos247.com/video.php?vid=ea23d08e5
If you find a link to a video for the May 3rd coal talk at B'ham high, or for the Acme coal event, it would be great to have it posted on your discussion.
Walter Haugen letter to Cascadia Weekly is copied below- http://www.cascadiaweekly.com/pdfs/issues/201117.pdf
Also David M. has a blog post with cut & pastes from other articles at- http://transitionwhatcom.ning.com/profiles/blogs/china-coal-world-e...
ApexNerd from over at Latte Republic has posted video from last weeks panel at Bellingham High School. The meeting was put on by the Sierra Club organization Coal-Free Washington and by Re-Sources, and it featured a panel of speakers including Matt Krogh from Re-Sources, Jean Melious, Mayor Dan Pike, a fisheries biologist, and a representative of the Sierra Club's Coal-free campaign. The video is split in to two parts, each about an hour long.
Part One: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO2GkQjInYo
Part Two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-81cmbjCH4
The Bellingham Herald wrote about the event in their blog and estimated that about 200 people were there; but apparently the Sierra Club gathered over 250 sign in signatures and Climate Solutions over 230 petition signatures, so there were probably more like 300. I was there with a group of about ten friends, all students, and there were several other friends from school there as well. More students are becoming interested in the Gateway Pacific project now that more information is becoming available and community dialogue is opening up.
Here is a link to the Herald Blog that covered the event, and that had a blurb today saying that terminals in BC have seen recent upswings in coal and potash exports, which seems to affirm what groups like Re-Sources have been saying: that coal companies are increasingly looking to sell internationally.
http://blogs.bellinghamherald.com/politics/tag/gateway-pacific-term...
Something that really stuck with me: The number one source of new mercury in Whatcom County.... coal burning in China.
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