From Stark
Mayor Dan Pike has picked up another environmental group’s endorsement in his reelection battle: the Sierra Club.
In a press release, Pike attributed the endorsement to his stand against SSA Marine’s plan for a cargo terminal at Cherry Point– a terminal that would likely draw trainloads of coal through the city on their way to vessels bound for China.
“I will do everything in my power to protect Bellingham,” Pike said. “If this project isn’t right for Bellingham—and I believe it is not—I will keep leading the charge, and we will win. I was the first elected leader and the first candidate to come out against this project, and I continue to be the candidate who is actually fighting for us. Stopping this coal port is more important to me than being re-elected.”
Pike’s opponents have varying views.
Kelli Linville says she opposes coal exports and the use of coal to generate power, but she says the city should wait for environmental review of the SSA proposal before coming out in opposition.
Clayton Petree has said that SSA should change its plans and build a container port that would have more economic benefits and fewer environmental problems.
Steve Moore backs SSA’s project.
In other news from the Pike campaign, the mayor and his campaign staff report collecting over $3,000 in contributions during their July 4 rooftop party at the Herald Building.
I hate to sound like a broken record, but does the Sierra Club know that Mayor Pike has refused to enforce Bellingham’s most important environmental regulation – the 2005 Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO)? Not only is the CAO essential to protect environmentally critical areas, it is a unique public safety ordinance specifically designed to protect the public from injury, loss of life, and property damage due to erosion, flooding, landslides, steep slope failures, and earthquakes. It is the only law on the City’s books designed to do so.
Dan, how can you say you “will do everything in my power to protect Bellingham” when you refuse to enforce the CAO?
More accurately, I said, “It is way too early in the process to make proclamations regarding the proposed cargo terminal at Cherry Point. We don’t yet know what the impact on Bellingham, especially on Bellingham’s own waterfront, might be.” and “This is a time to listen, learn, and participate – not leap one way or another based on speculation about something we don’t yet know enough about.”
Next, I researched other potential options for Cherry Point and released a position paper that lays out how a container port with an intermodal facility would benefit Whatcom County to a much greater extent and said that I will be asking for the EIS to study this as an alternative. That way if the coal terminal doesn’t happen for environmental, market, or other reasons such as being tied up in court for years, we would have another jobs producing alternative already studied and ready to go.
Here is a link to that position paper if anyone would like to read it: http://media.bellinghamherald.com/static/images/downloads/JaredPaben/Petree%20Position%20on%20Terminal.pdf
This endorsement does raise an eyebrow for me. The Mayor’s recent record notwithstanding, they did consistently score Linville perfectly on repeated occasions, including giving her extra credit. I appreciate the Club’s voice but I’d like to hear more on why they’ve so readily abandoned a former poster child. See here: http://cascade.sierraclub.org/node/2661
I stated that poorly. The Sierra Club has been quite happy with Linville, scoring her record perfectly over many many years, and is now quite happy with Pike. That’s all fine. My query isn’t calling into question the process or the choice, it’s that I’m not on their endorsement committee and the club’s website has too little info (see the link I listed above) to understand what distinctions were made. I, like many people, rely on folks like the Sierra Club, among others, to help inform me.
It’s a lot easier to get endorsements as part of the leadership than running on your record, Mike.