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Port approves Vancouver coal export expansion
This is the first domino to fall. You can count on the Canadian Government to go for money versus the environment. I think this will be routed down the Columbia River and north to Seattle and Vancouver B.C. Please let me know if there is a different route this coal would take.
It’s likely Canadian coal, Jan
Almost all scientists I’ve read say this coal ought to stay in the ground - forever.
The article says the coal is to be delivered by BNSF. That would not be Canadian coal. It seams reasonable that the coal would be routed through the Columbia River Gorge as this is the flattest route across the Cascades. The empties might return by a more direct route across the mountains. However, I am only guessing. I have no inside knowledge.
The article says the coal is to be delivered by BNSF. That would not be Canadian coal. It seams reasonable that the coal would be routed through the Columbia River Gorge as this is the flattest route across the Cascades. The empties might return by a more direct route across the mountains. However, I am only guessing. I have no inside knowledge.
So what if it does come down the Columbia river? We have had close to zero incidents with coal trains. Yes, coal is bad for the environment but if we completely stopped using it, we would not have enough energy to make things like steel. When all of the coal goes away what will we have? Well you can’t make steel without coal so we won’t have enough steel to build natural gas power plants and new buildings. Coal is a necessary element that we rely on so we can’t just abruptly stop using it. I’m sure that the Columbia river corridor can handle one more coal train per day.
The US consumed nearly 250 tons of coal in the first quarter and 93% of that was used for energy. These are figures from the energy information administration. If somehow all that coal went away, yes the polar bears will be happy but say goodbye to air conditioning, microwaves ovens, and light. To quote Fred W. Frailey, “It’s a mindset that if applied the same way to the other forms of transportation would have us all reduced to riding bicycles, living in caves, and reading by candlelight.” Everyone wants coal to stay in the ground, but wait till the lights go out.
*250 million tons of coal lol
“Almost all scientists I’ve read say this coal ought to stay in the ground - forever.”
Scientist can afford to pay 2-3 times more for their electricity too. How about they come up with a viable replacement to coal instead.
The bottom line is that regardless of US/Canadian environmental policies, coal will be burned.
My understanding is that the Chinese coal isn’t as good and results in more pollution. For economics they’d prefer to buy ours instead of expanding their production. Given that the coal is going to be burned regardless of where it comes from, and that their coal pollutes more, and that they don’t use much, if any, pollution control, it’s probably better for the environment to sell them the coal instead of letting them burn their own.
Sadly, none of us can make a large enough dent in mankind’s mad dash to turn the earth into an open garbage dump. Like drugs, if people can’t get what they want from one source, they’ll find another.
It’s not just a question of greed, it’s a question of living beyond your means, in this case living like there’s no end to energy sources and that there’s no consequence to using so much energy.
The bottom line is that regardless of US/Canadian environmental policies, coal will be burned.
My understanding is that the Chinese coal isn’t as good and results in more pollution. For economics they’d prefer to buy ours instead of expanding their production. Given that the coal is going to be burned regardless of where it comes from, and that their coal pollutes more, and that they don’t use much, if any, pollution control, it’s probably better for the environment to sell them the coal instead of letting them burn their own.
Sadly, none of us can make a large enough dent in mankind’s mad dash to turn the earth into an open garbage dump. Like drugs, if people can’t get what they want from one source, they’ll find another.
It’s not just a question of greed, it’s a question of living beyond your means, in this case living like there’s no end to energy sources and that there’s no consequence to using so much energy.
Can you imagine a conversation like this happening in 1972? Railroaders in TRAINS discussing whether or not coal - a commodity used by much the world for power generation (if they aren’t using wood) is an acceptable material for shipment…Any scientist who says coal should be left in the ground needs to go back to school and study economics. And for the record, coal was being used to fire steam engines in China on the main lines right up until the day China Rail retired steam in November 2005. Coal-fired locomotives were hauling heavy coal trains across Inner Mongolia looking for all the world like Wyoming In 1959. I personally am amazed that Vancouver pulled this one off. We could not have done it anywhere on the US West Coast, and the US greenies have locked up every potential new coal port. They will fight coal and coal-hauling railroads (and oil is not far behind) until they win. Then they’ll all blog happily about the beauty of having no coal moving across the USA…until they can’t pay their sky-high wind-and-solar power bill, and the utilities cut off their electricity. In Alaska back during the pipeline days, when the greenies protested against the pipeline, we used to have a bumper sticker that said, “Let the bastards freeze in the dark.” We need to dust that one off, and start using it again. Perhaps UP and BNSF should paint that one across every hopper car that they own? It’s got more punch than “America Powers the World”.
I agree with Steven Hites, coal & oil are nessecary to our economy. The tree huggers have no clue what they are protesting about. Our coal from the Powder River Basin is the best in the world, lower in sulpher, etc. Coal made this country, my grand parents house in Toledo, Ohio was heated by coal a long time ago. We bitch about oil prices, now we have a source in Bakken crude and they complain about that. The coal ports will bring jobs and tax dollars to the cities, counties & states involved. But I am not sure tree huggers work for a living. Build the coal terminals.
I agree with Steven Hites, coal & oil are nessecary to our economy. The tree huggers have no clue what they are protesting about. Our coal from the Powder River Basin is the best in the world, lower in sulpher, etc. Coal made this country, my grand parents house in Toledo, Ohio was heated by coal a long time ago. We bitch about oil prices, now we have a source in Bakken crude and they complain about that. The coal ports will bring jobs and tax dollars to the cities, counties & states involved. But I am not sure tree huggers work for a living. Build the coal terminals.
One thing that BNSF has never acted upon despite a lot of community pressure is to re-route the line from Blaine WA to tie into the existing tracks near Cloverdale, BC. The trains have killed many a person along the beach route through White Rock, B.C., the best vacation spot in the lower mainland. That community has had to deal with GN/BNSF trains for 100 years, and it is a major problem.
Steven Hites and David Elliott I agree. There is some talk about a new coal transload facility at the Port of Morrow in Boardman, Oregon. Since they can’t bring over UP coal through the Blue Mountains because of the Indian reservation, it will be BNSF coal. The coal will come down through Wallula and be put on a barge to head to a port in Portland. If this facility is built the Canadian-American line will have find one more coal train. Also, the coal fired power plant Southwest of Boardman in closing in 2020. So the one coal train that travels on the CanAm line that goes to the plant will go away there should be no change. Yet the hippies still don’t want the port to handle coal.