By John Stark
The ” Safeguard the South Fork” organization is offering training sessions meant to help people submit meaningful comments during the “scoping process” that will determine what environmental issues get scrutiny as the impact from the proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal project gets study.
The sessions are scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 15, and 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 3. Both sessions are in the Deming Library at 5044 Mount Baker Highway.
For more information, contact Jeff Margolis, Co-Chairman of Safeguard the South Fork, at 592-2297, or email goodbuy@everybodys.com
” The Whatcom County Office of Planning and Development Services and the Army Corps of Engineers distinguish ‘comments’ from ‘opinions and sentiments’ and accept significant comments only,” the organization says in a press release. ” These sessions will assist participants in presenting themselves effectively. “
SGSF rocks! What the agencies say is, “Comments about the merits (pro or con) of the proposal or whether an EIS should be prepared at all will not be considered in determining the scope of the EIS.” http://www.eisgatewaypacificwa.gov/sites/default/files/content/files/092112-CommGuide.pdf
Good LTEs are great, but submit them to newspapers and NOT DURING SCOPING. Scoping comments address significant impact, sugjest what should be scoped, discusses alternatives and mitigations, etc.
I’ve scanned the comments posted through today and would say that nearly all address issues in addition to expressing opinions for or against. For my own use in preparing to draft comments, I found 192 nuances and substantially distinct issues. The comments make interesting reading. There are some detailed carefully written professional analyses. There are many nuances on the basic issues, for example noise and vibration. There are some interesting insights into the way we live now.
I am concerned that in the comments there is an overriding issue of opportunity cost that may be beyond the understanding and scope of the environmental impact specialists. Specifically, Buffett is a skilled user of tax subsidies–like Romney, his wealth was largely built by skinning the rest of us through the tax system. The railroad will take most of the revenue from this operation. And, the railroad will impose enormous costs on the communities along the route only to deal with the congestion caused by the trains (ignoring myriad other damaging effects on our wealth). Through our state and local taxes, waiting time, etc., we, not Buffett’s business, will pay these costs. Now in 2012, we could be investing in renewable energy infrastructure. However, our resources will be drained to pay for this Buffett/Gates boondoggle. That is an opportunity cost for our communities, and I don’t understand either: 1) how something so important could not be a dominant consideration or 2) how the opportunity cost of our not having resources to invest in renewable energy fits into the logic of the EIS process.
It’s heartening to hear so many people are addressing lost opportunity costs. Protect Whatcom (“Coal Costs Us”) will be (re-)submitting our comment asking for an Economic Impact Assessment with 550 signatures. And Peter Goldmark has said publicly he will request a state-wide EIA. There’s specific language in SEPA addressing public costs that I believe there will be the potential for appeal of the EIS if it doesn’t fully and comprehensively address that issue.
Correction: Not “lost” opportunity costs. Just opportunity costs.
I have attended the scoping comment workshops and I find them VERY useful.
In addition, it is helpful to all who want to comment to go to the government comments page (eisgatewaypacificwa (dot) gov, look for the menu item “do you want to get involved,” drop down the box and look for “view comments” on the bottom. If you click on that you can read the comments to use them as a guide for how you want to respond.
That said, I believe it is counterproductive for the co”leads” (read followers of corporate dictates) to discourage “opinions and sentiments.” It is only natural for anger, frustration and disgust to be part of this review process. You can politely express these insights in submitted comments as well as submitting other comments that address your loftier concerns. You can submit a comment a day if you like. Or, preferably more.
Please DO exercise your right as an American citizen to comment vociferously. The endemic self-silencing born of low self-esteem and an overriding need to be accepted by the crowd that demands uniform behaviors is killing the country and the planet.
Please remember volume counts. Do not let anyone discourage you from writing your letter in the manner and style that you wish. You can write a letter. It is your right. You can write separate letters for each concern that you have. There are over one hundred concerns. There is nothing wrong with going to a letter writing workshop but if you cannot do that do not let that keep you from writing a letter.
Do not let the self-appointed letter writing experts keep you from writing a letter. Your letter many not fit their style but it may be one of the most important letters received.
Remember to come to the meeting:
Oct. 27-at 10 Am-3Pm.-Squalicum High School. If you want to speak come one half hour early. Show your opposition in every non-violent way that you can.
Meet with the people of good will before the meeting. You can bring your signs. You can wear your ant-coal buttons.
Mass opposition counts.
I agree with Insight that our scoping comments can include “opinions and sentiments” as John Watts comment of 10/4 amply illustrates. He cogently states his concerns with some well-placed emphasis, for example:
“…• failing to understand the finite nature of our essential resources on this planet that must sustain us all. [just plain stupid]
• buying into the flawed theory that indiscriminate, continual growth is necessary, good and unavoidable. [the philosophy of a cancer cell; unsustainable, neanderthal thinking]….”
Please read his comments by going to eisgateway dot gov, Get Involved and drop down to “view comments.”
Here is a link to an outline of issues of local concern:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/05/02/1088274/-101-Reasons-to-be-Concerned-About-Coal-Export.
101+ Reasons to Be Concerned About Coal Export was handed out at a presentation by James Wells.
On Kos, Wells recommends this article on Sightline by Eric de Place: http://www.sightline.org/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2012/02/coal-FAQ.pdf
By the way, in the comments so far, I missed any reference to the cost of security services that Washington State, Whatcom County, Bellingham, etc. would be required to provide to protect this Wall Street operation. Already, as reported by Dave Tucker on Northwest Geology, the State has announced the closure of Clayton Beach access, presumably to protect the interests of the Wall Street railroad owners. What other costs will we be asked to pay to protect the physical security of this Wall Street operation?
On a related issue, during his campaign, Dan Pike cited the fact that the construction project would bring in thousands of young men to live in camps, requiring police services to protect us from Wall Street’s operations.
All, comments relate now to how the EIS should be scoped. Opinions will not be counted as ” comments.” I’m merely quoting the agencies, and there is no legal recourse because that is the part of the process in which we are engaged. If stating an opinion makes you feel better, by all means, do so. And volume absolutely DOES count, but I fear that at the end of the day, this EIS, as others I’ve read, will begin with, “X number of letters were received; of those, Y were comments. Z were statements of opinion.”
Comment writing workshops are not designed to dictate what others say. They are designed to assist folks with articulating a concern in a way guaranteed to be counted as a “comment.”
Growth is evil, lower unemployment is terrible, higher incomes is just plain stupid, growth leading to more government revenue that can be spent on things like education or protecting the environment is the last thing any society should ever want, don’t ya know!
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!
This from the agencies on what they are asking the public to address:
“As you’re considering your scoping comments, remember that scoping is designed to gather input on four topics:
“•Reasonable range of alternatives
“•Potentially affected resources and extent of analysis of those resources
“•Significant unavoidable adverse impacts
“•Measures to avoid, minimize and mitigate effects of the proposals”
http://www.eisgatewaypacificwa.gov/sites/default/files/content/files/092112-CommGuide.pdf#overlay-context=resources/project-library
The bottom line is that statements of opinion are great for LTEs. Not comments. Please, let’s not dillute our power at this critical stage in the process. That’s all I’m saying.
AFY,
Businesses go through phases: at one point, the objective may be growth, at the next, profitably, and at the next, survival. Are you suggesting that in 2012, our objective should be growth, rather than survival in the face of a projected 150% increase in the acidity of the ocean by 2100, and a failure of our government to act to control the increase of global temperature to 2 degrees, as the consensus requires for safety?
Or, are you part of the dissension fostered by the Gates Foundation in its sponsorship of the global warming denying Heartland Institute and BNSF in their promotion of CO2 generating coal burning as a business solution for the woes of aging monopolists?
“Religious faith is a source of strength in many people’s lives. But religious faith when taken too far can prove ludicrous — or disastrous.
On Oct. 22, 1844, thousand of Millerites, having sold all their possessions, climbed to the top of hills in Upstate New York to await the return of Jesus and the end of the world. They suffered “the great disappointment” when it didn’t happen.
In 1212, or so the legends go, thousands of Children’s Crusaders set off from France and Germany expecting the sea to part so they could march peaceably and convert Muslims in the Holy Land. It didn’t, and many were shipwrecked or sold into slavery.
In 1898, the cavalrymen of the Madhi, ruler of Sudan for 13 years, went into the Battle of Omdurman armed with swords, believing that they were impervious to bullets. They weren’t, and they were mowed down by British Maxim guns.
A similar but more peaceable fate is befalling believers in what I think can be called the religion of the global warming alarmists……
http://www.creators.com/opinion/michael-barone/cult-of-global-warming-is-losing-influence-11-10-24.html
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!
Untrue scare stories to promote their agenda is something that has been going on by the left for quite a while now i.e.:
“In 1962, when Rachel Carson published her book Silent Spring, I was delighted. I belonged to several environmental-type organizations, had no feelings of respect for industry or big business, had one of my own books published by the Sierra Club,…
…When leading scientists began to publish harsh criticisms of her methods and her allegations, it slowly dawned on me that Rachel Carson was not interested in the truth about those topics, and that I really was being duped, along with millions of other Americans….
Now, nearly 30 years later, the controversy is still boiling about how truthful Rachel Carson was. I recently learned that a movie honoring Rachel Carson and Silent Spring is being made for television. Because I believe such a movie would further misinform the public, the media, and our legislators, I decided to type up my original rough notes from 1962-1963 and make them available. Here they are, page by page, starting with her dedication…..
http://www.21stcenturysciencetech.com/articles/summ02/Carson.html
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!
Remember about volume. Do not let any so called expert tell you to write your concerned comments to the editor of the paper rather than to the eisgatewaypacificwa(dot)gov. This is nonsense.
It is your letter. Write it in any style that you wish and express yourself in any manner that you wish and state any concern that you have. You can also tell them that you do not want any action and that you want them to go away. It is your letter and your right to send it in.
The letter that you are thinking about writing may be the best one that will be received. The important thing is to write it. Do not let the “expert” stop you.
Do you wonder whose side the “expert” is on?
A hearty “thanks!” to Boudou for providing the additional scoping comment idea about the need for heightened security for the Gateway Pacific Terminator project. I will look into that.
Also, as one of the few people I know who has seen clear through the nefarious Bill Gates, I appreciate learning from you about the Gates Foundation support of Heartland. It figures.
Owl, not to sound too much like Robert deNiro’s character in “Taxi Driver,” but, “You talkin’ to me?” Have you attended a comment writing workshop? If not, please do. We can’t start accusing each other of being on the wrong side or we’ve already lost. E-mail gptscoping@gmail.com.
I’ve never claimed to be an expert. All I know is what the agency co-leads have told us “will not be considered” (see http://www.eisgatewaypacificwa.gov/sites/default/files/content/files/092112-CommGuide.pdf) and I want every letter to be considered. So that’s what I’m working on.
Duh, what am I saying? You don’t have to e-mail anyone to attend a scoping workshop. There will be two in Deming, the subject of the original blog post. One tends to forget what the original issue was. In this case, it is that commennt writing workshops are a good thing.
I have pages information about better built coal terminals with various types of covers over the coal piles, types of pads to prevent the coal dust laden water from getting into the ground and water, and walls for wind breaks, but no one wants to hear about the fact that GPT is cheaping out on the environmental standards for building this terminal. Why do you suppose that is?
BAP, BAT or no coal. We don’t want any after the fact programmable solutions to the environmental pollution, yet that is what is being suggested. Right now, the Puget Sound Partnership, which stands to benefit from the programmable solutions decision, is managing the revision of the vessel traffic study to include the bulk coal carriers. It’s like putting the fox in charge of the hen house because, PSP will be the agency to collect the fines and spend the money, not Whatcom County.
I want to be clear, I don’t want this coal terminal under any circumstances, but I particularly don’t want this cheap version that SSA/Goldman Sachs is trying to foist on Whatcom County. They are making no attempt to protect Whatcom County from the effects of the fugitive coal dust from the terminal.
They are taking no steps to protect Whatcom County or the Sound from the dangers of bulk carriers, either and that is a whole other issue, with lots of potential for regulation and mitigation requests by the State. All of these precautions (like tug escorts) cost money and potentially make the coal terminal an unworkable, but is no reason that we should not expect every possible protection and the very best technology to be used by SSA/Goldman Sachs. Whatcom County is our home, not theirs.
Bill Gates is a member of the Illuminati.
Seriously.
JG, I actually have some first-hand knowledge of the negotiations for the VTS and have no idea what you’re referring to about PSP. If you know something to the contrary, please post links to document that.
Also, your info on covered coal piles would be tremendous. You can contact me directly on FB about how I can get docs from you if you don’t have links you can post.
Thank you!!!
Remember:
A good place to protest the GPT is before and after the meeting on Oct 27 at Squalicum High school.
Come early and bring your signs. Show your opposition in every non-violent way that you can. You can leave your signs outside but you can wear your coal kills and other anti-coal buttons. If you do not have buttons come to the Power Past Coal office at 215 West Holly Street and get a supply.
Come early and stay late. Bring your friends. Numbers count.
While Bellingham Owl concludes that you can attend a workshop if you want to, her overall tone in these comments is that this workshop is being offered by “self appointed experts” that might have a loaded agenda and may even hinder you from writing a comment. Why would Bellingham Owl take it upon her self to discourage county residents from attending the limited number of comment writing workshops offered outside of Bellingham? These workshops have been offered in Bellingham for months, with two offered this week alone at RESources and many more scheduled at the PPC office.
Its probably not a coincidence that as Bellingham Owl critiques these informational workshops for county residents that she continues to occupy her position as a ardent supporter of the Coal Free Initiative, which proported to protect Bellingham from coal trains with no safeguards in place for county residents living along the alternative route. The alternative train route through eastern Whatcom County has been identified by Bellingham interests as an alternative route and while BNSF has made no public statements about plans to use this route, they also have not made any legally binding statements that it will not be developed and used.
The agency co-leads make known on their web site that the EIS will consider a “reasonable range of alternatives.” I applaud SafeGuard the South Fork for sharing with county residents the materials and information on how to make comments count that are being made available to Bellingham residents through similar workshops. Attempts at devaluing this information, such as those made by Bellingham Owl, puts at risk that county residents will remain marginalized in evaluating the merits and impacts of this proposed project.
“My children and I eat vegetables out of our garden every day…there’s none of this fictitious coal dust you hear people complaining about” Nick Evans, Bellingham, WA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-UyJUiV-cw
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!
Five engines per train. Diesel emissions. Keep up, AFY.
If you can’t exaggerate about one thing always go to something else, don’t ya know!
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!
Coal Dust Runoff Inundates Crawford Family Farm, Rapid City Journal, Nebraska, May 2010
http://www.timesunion.com/news/slideshow/Columbus-Day-Parade-2012-50401.php
“The Buckleys have contacted BNSF about their situation, and the company has sent investigators to look at the situation. A representative from HWS, a BNSF contractor, said last week that the most likely remediation measure would be to scrape off the contaminated topsoil and replace it. He wasn’t able to offer a timetable for that work, however, or even an assurance that it would be done.”
Here we go again;
I know the green spin machine likes to make us think 1890 when it’s comes to industry today but this is 2012, however past sins never give up giving when it comes to the greens exaggerations to promote their agenda. Soil that was contaminated prior to today’s dust mitigation is not only an unfair representation of today’s standards but really a very accurate representation of how when it comes to green politics today it ain’t about the means but only about the ends!
But the truth has no agenda, don’t ya know!
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!
“The first customer for the Gateway Pacific Terminal says it will treat all coal it exports through the GatewayPacific Terminal with a sealant to eliminate any potential concerns about dust in the state or in Whatcom County from its coal shipments. Peabody Energy also says that coal dust from trains in Whatcom County and the state is a “non issue.”……..
http://gatewaypacificterminal.com/peabody-energy-announces-support-for-gateway-pacific-terminal/
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!
From earlier 2012, not 1890: http://www.thedickinsonpress.com/event/article/id/61008/
Quoting the South Heart, North Dakota fire chief: “He said fires like this are a problem along the entire railroad system but there is really nothing the railroad company could do to prevent the coal dust from blowing off and igniting the flames.”
Quit wasting everyone’s time. You’re just wrong, and you know it.
Coal RUNOFF was the issue in the article cited by Nicole, AFY, and that WAS 2012. You have no idea what you’re talking about and need to bow out of this discussion.
That’s weird. Here is the correct link to the 2010 article reporting on the family farm in Crawford Nebraska where runoff water from melting snow left behind 3-4 inches of coal dust and coal chunks atop their vegetable garden located near BSNF tracks carrying coal trains.
http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/coal-dust-runoff-inundates-crawford-family-s-organic-garden/article_bfaa1e28-59dd-11df-b37e-001cc4c002e0.html
Sorry TW I’s not to good at bowing!
I’s knows it’s a problem for those with narrow minds to open them up just a little bit, mind expansion must be really really painful, I’s reckon bias is hard to see thru, but this article appears to be about something that was create most likely decades previous that has recently come to surface which most likely has no relationship to current technology & mitigation and there has been no evidence introduced in this article to show otherwise. It’s amazing how those with an agenda will take a little truth and try to expand it to cover their agenda.
Exaggeration of facts is not truthful nor honest, don’t ya know!
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!
Come and hear Joe Gaydos and you will probably have some more reasons to say “No’ to the Gateway Pacific Project.
On Wednesday, October 10, SeaDoc’s chief scientist Joe Gaydos will be in Bellingham to give a talk called “Bears to Barnacles: Incredible Animals of the Salish Sea.”
7pm in the Encore Room. Tickets are $7 each or $5 for students and seniors.
Remember when you write your letters volume counts. Write as many as you wish and feel free to express yourself as you wish. It is your letter and you do not need to get permission to write it.
AFY…. where in this article do you get that it “appears to be about something that was created most likely decades previous that has recently come to surface?”
I understand that people like your self, with a history in Whatcom County, are aware and maybe even paranoid about how an area can be stained over the years by heavy industry. But in the case of the Crawford family farm, they had been farming their for at least a decade and the coal dust was not something that they noticed before. You know, its invisible like that. Kind of like the contaminants that taxpayers are now paying to be removed from the contaminated Georgia Pacific site.
Why are you advocating technology to mitigate toxic industry and not technology to lead the way for green energy futures? It doesn’t make sense. You consistently are more interested in the band-aid rather than avoiding the risk to injury. To each their own.
NB from the article there is no evidence of if the problem was a one year problem or a hundred year problem or of what the conclusion of the problem was if any, it is just a newspaper article with no authentic non bias nor independent science to back it up.
For anyone to reach any conclusion from this article that conclusion would have to be solely based on their opinion and the bias of whoever did this reporting (and most likely there own), nothing more and nothing less, don’t ya know!
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!
AFY is Joe Wilson, Sales Manager,
Pederson Construction
3974 Bakerview Spur
Bellingham, WA 98226
Phone: 360-734-9180
Fax: 360-734-9649