Tell WA state regulators: It's time for PSE to go coal free!

[eridani]

Puget Sound Energy has submitted a plan to state regulators that includes relying on dirty coal from its aging coal plant in MT for the next 20 years. This is an outrageous waste of money when there are cleaner technologies that make more economic sense to rely on for our power.

Send a message to state regulators and tell them it's time for PSE to ditch coal and invest in clean energy. I did!

Find out more and send your message here: http://action.sierraclub.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&id=11817

[MFM008]

1. Did it

in Lakewood here. Mf friend and I were at the beach and watched a coal train roll by, must have had 50 cars of open coal.

[eridani]

2. Will Trains Bring 48M Tons of Coal a Year Through Seattle?

http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/312-16/19056-will-trains-bring-48m-tons-of-coal-a-year-through-seattle

Combined, the coal terminals and the unexpected onslaught of crude-oil trains threaten to overwhelm local railways. Critical sections of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) line such as the Columbia River Gorge and tracks along Puget Sound are already overburdened and could be overwhelmed by increased traffic from the massive unit trains if the new proposals are accepted.

The bill for millions of dollars in road and overpass upgrades could be foisted onto communities. That has towns and cities entering into alliances with major climate-change organizations such as the Sierra Club. The commuter city of Marysville, Wash., for example, has 11 train crossings at street level; Cheney, near Spokane, is bisected by railroad tracks. Added train traffic also threatens to disrupt traffic to the busy Port of Seattle and would cross scenic neighborhoods to the north of the city.

A massive disconnect exists between the way the energy industry views coal exports and the "green" agenda of the Pacific Northwest, which has perhaps the most environmentally aware population in the United States. If opponents use the broader review to delay or even stop the terminal, the decision could affect international trade, climate change, and world energy markets.

Climate change plays strongly in the region's largest city; Seattle is a hotbed of environmentalism, and the Sierra Club is very active. Mayor Mike McGinn is only one of several public officials with direct links to green organizations. The region's governors-Jay Inslee of Washington and John Kitzhaber of Oregon-are climate hawks, and urged agencies to take a broad look at the terminals. The Washington Department of Ecology says Inslee played no role in its decision to include climate change impacts in its review guidelines, but describes him as "comfortable" with the ruling.