Nature & Environment
Environmental Damage Linked To Millennium Bulk Terminals Coal Export Project
Johnson Denise
First Posted: May 02, 2016 06:00 AM EDT
There have been a number of issues involving the environmental impacts from the proposed coal export terminal in Longview, Washington. From coal dust, greenhouse gas emissions, to noise and traffic congestion, experts have been analyzing the risks of developing the proposed project.
The Washington Department of Ecology and Cowlitz County are examining the environmental risks that might happen if the proposed Millennium Bulk Terminals coal export project will push through. According to kuow.org, the project will need to export up to 44 million tons of coal a year to Asia after delivering it to Longview by rail from the Rocky Mountain region.
In the study, officials from both the county and the state presented all possible impacts the project will bring to air, water, fish, wildlife, and communities from transporting the coal, and also the construction and the operation of the terminal. The study found that the project will cause a significant damage to the environment and not all damages can be reduced.
However, officials are proposing measures to follow to reduce coal dust and greenhouse gas emissions. To improve rail lines, prepare for a higher risk of oil spills and add a quiet zone for trains passing through Longview. After brainstorming these possible measures, experts still noticed that the mitigation measures would not completely get rid of the environmental impacts the project will bring.
Opb.org stated that the report found greenhouse gas emissions from the project would be "significant"- describing it as an equivalent of adding more than 600,000 passenger cars to the road each year. The emissions would affect Washington State even though they are global in nature, officials found. "The climate impacts resulting from this increase to greenhouse gases would persist for a long period of time," the report says, "and would be considered permanent."
Lauren Goldberg, an attorney with the environmental group Columbia Riverkeeper, said the report gives officials all the evidence they need to deny permits for the project. "The report lays out a laundry list of significant impacts from the project," she said. "There are number of places where the report identifies the massive amounts of carbon that this project will spew - equivalent to roughly seven new coal-fired power plants. These are stunning impacts for a state like Washington that's shutting down coal-fired power plants."
However, she also said that the review falls short on reduction measure that will actually neutralize the damage form the project, and it fails to fully evaluate the public health impacts of coal dust emissions. "There's human health impact study that still needs to be completed and hasn't been done yet," she said.
See Now:
NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone
©2024 ScienceWorldReport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The window to the world of science news.
More on SCIENCEwr
First Posted: May 02, 2016 06:00 AM EDT
There have been a number of issues involving the environmental impacts from the proposed coal export terminal in Longview, Washington. From coal dust, greenhouse gas emissions, to noise and traffic congestion, experts have been analyzing the risks of developing the proposed project.
The Washington Department of Ecology and Cowlitz County are examining the environmental risks that might happen if the proposed Millennium Bulk Terminals coal export project will push through. According to kuow.org, the project will need to export up to 44 million tons of coal a year to Asia after delivering it to Longview by rail from the Rocky Mountain region.
In the study, officials from both the county and the state presented all possible impacts the project will bring to air, water, fish, wildlife, and communities from transporting the coal, and also the construction and the operation of the terminal. The study found that the project will cause a significant damage to the environment and not all damages can be reduced.
However, officials are proposing measures to follow to reduce coal dust and greenhouse gas emissions. To improve rail lines, prepare for a higher risk of oil spills and add a quiet zone for trains passing through Longview. After brainstorming these possible measures, experts still noticed that the mitigation measures would not completely get rid of the environmental impacts the project will bring.
Opb.org stated that the report found greenhouse gas emissions from the project would be "significant"- describing it as an equivalent of adding more than 600,000 passenger cars to the road each year. The emissions would affect Washington State even though they are global in nature, officials found. "The climate impacts resulting from this increase to greenhouse gases would persist for a long period of time," the report says, "and would be considered permanent."
Lauren Goldberg, an attorney with the environmental group Columbia Riverkeeper, said the report gives officials all the evidence they need to deny permits for the project. "The report lays out a laundry list of significant impacts from the project," she said. "There are number of places where the report identifies the massive amounts of carbon that this project will spew - equivalent to roughly seven new coal-fired power plants. These are stunning impacts for a state like Washington that's shutting down coal-fired power plants."
However, she also said that the review falls short on reduction measure that will actually neutralize the damage form the project, and it fails to fully evaluate the public health impacts of coal dust emissions. "There's human health impact study that still needs to be completed and hasn't been done yet," she said.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone