County Council will televise panel opposing coal trains

The Metropolitan King County Council’s Transportation, Economy and Environment (TrEE) Committee will receive a briefing on a motion opposing new coal terminals in Washington and Oregon

Tuesday, September 3, 2013, 9:30am, County Council Chambers,  King County Courthouse, 10th floor

The meeting will be carried LIVE on King County TV, seen on Comcast and Wave Cable Channel 22 or online at the King County website.

The motion that will be considered by the committee would express the Council’s opposition to the establishment of new coal export terminals in Washington and Oregon. The motion also calls for a broad approach to the environmental review of proposed coal terminals, including an analysis of the negative impacts to local air, water, public health, transportation, and economy from the coal trains used to transport the coal.  It also calls for a look at the global environmental impacts resulting from the greenhouse gas emissions emitted by burning the coal, its ultimate end use.

The motion would also express the Council’s intent to include in its federal legislative agenda a request to the United States Department of the Interior for a moratorium on new and expanded coal leases in the Powder River basin pending a review of federal coal leasing practices.

The discussion on the proposal will include panel members: 

• Ross Macfarlane, Senior Advisor, Climate Solutions
• Becky Kelly, Deputy Director, Washington Environmental Council

Read more about this legislation - Type in “2013-0386”