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by NW Spotlight
The debate over the proposed export terminals in the Northwest still rages on with backers of the project vowing to construct the most environmentally, protective, state-of-the-art, shipping terminals and opponents, mainly progressive environmentalists and their allies, vowing to use any method possible to delay and kill the terminals.
Good jobs and economic growth cannot wait for drawn out studies and permitting processes [2] because groups of environmentalists are using false science and data to scare residents. Trains have been running through the Northwest for decades and only recently have environmental groups begun to attack them for the alleged coal dust that emits from the trains.
Now these groups and their allies want to use the Federal government to study the potential effects [3] on global warming from American exports once they leave the US. This has major negative implications on other products and markets exported from the United States. As the Albany Democrat Herald says – this is a lose-lose coal policy [4].
With vast amount of coal reserves domestically, and a growing need in the Asian markets–coal exports make sense. Asia will be burning coal regardless; if they do not get it from us, they will get it from somewhere else. The result? The United States loses out on jobs and billions in investments in communities that are economically depressed.