Willapa Hills Audubon, as part of the Washington State Audubon Conservation Council (WSACC), has joined in a statewide opposition to coal export from west coast ports.
The formal WSACC resolution against coal export is an impressive action which focuses resources on this issue. It passed unanimously on December 8, 2011.
RESOLUTION OPPOSING ALL COAL EXPORT FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
WHEREAS,
There is industry movement in proposing, permitting, and building coal export terminal/facilities at several Pacific Northwest ports, including at Cherry Point, Longview, and Grays Harbor in Washington state, and
WHEREAS,
burning coal is a major cause of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide that contribute to global climate change, when green alternatives are increasingly available, and
WHEREAS,
the process of transporting and exporting coal in the Pacific Northwest will harm our environment and the public health in a manner that cannot be sufficiently mitigated at this time, and
WHEREAS,
the exportation of coal contradicts our own state’s efforts, as articulated by the Governor’s Executive Orders, to curb greenhouse emissions, and
WHEREAS,
WSACC supports well-designed, appropriately sited, renewable energy projects; therefore,
BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED,
that the Washington State Audubon Conservation Committee (WSACC) opposes any and all proposals for the export of coal from the Pacific Northwest.