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Gateway Pacific Terminal at Cherry Point

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Upcoming Events:

Ships, Spills & Sea Life - Coal Hard Truth Forum

These Coal Hard Truth forums, titled Ships, Spills & Sea Life, will feature expert panelists discussing the health and environmental impacts of increased ship traffic through Haro and Rosario Straits and will also feature a public Q and A session. The forums will be moderated by Matt Krogh, North Sound Baykeeper with RE Sources for Sustainable Communities.

Tuesday, Feb 7th
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Lopez Island - The Lopez Center for Community and the Arts
204 Village Road

Wednesday, Feb 8th
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Orcas Island - Eastsound Fire Hall
45 Lavendar Lane, Eastsound


Thursday, Feb 9th
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
San Juan Island - Friday Harbor High School
45 Blair Avenue, Friday Harbor


Gateway Pacific Terminal at Cherry Point project overview:

Coal companies, recognizing that there is little future growth to be had domestically, have a new plan: export the strip-mined coal that we’re not using to feed Asia's rapidly growing appetite for energy. But they can't export that coal without building a new coal terminal somewhere on the West Coast. Farthest along is the 48 million ton Gateway Pacific coal terminal proposal by SSA Marine (49% owned by Goldman Sachs, and partnering with Peabody Energy), planned to be built at Cherry Point in Bellingham, WA. More details at Coal Train Facts.

The impacts of this proposed coal terminal would be dramatic to the health and welfare of humans and the environment in Whatcom County, where the coal terminal would be located, and all along the rail route from the strip mines to the Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve, SSA's planned dock location.

Since its creation in 1999, RE Sources North Sound Baykeeper has been protecting the critical ecosystem of the Cherry Point reach- this is the next step in that battle. 

We need to power past coal.
We can do better, keeping our local economies strong and  the places we love intact for our families. We won’t sell the soul of our communities for coal. The costs to our health, quality of life and our home towns are too high.

To Power Past Coal, RE Sources started fighting this proposal in fall of 2010. With the aid of community members concerned about the potential impacts of the Gateway Pacific Proposal, we resisted SSA's efforts to generate statements of support from local city and county councils. 

When the full scale of the new proposal was revealed to be an increase from a 1992 proposal for 8 million tons of wheat and potash to the 2011 proposal for 48 million tons of coal and 6 million tons of "other," we helped found the Power Past Coal coalition with  Climate Solutions, Columbia Riverkeeper, Earth Justice, Sierra Club, Washington Environmental Council, and Western Organization for Resource Council.

In response to illegal wetland fill by SSA at their proposed site, RE Sources North Sound Baykeeper has filed suit under the Federal Clean Water Act.

Join RE Sources and Power Past Coal in this critical fight against a bad idea, in the wrong place, at the wrong time. 


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