Consequences of Coal Exports Through the Pacific Northwest

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Consequences of Coal Exports Through the Pacific
Northwest

• Martin Donohoe

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Plans

• Powder River Basin coal, cheap, export to China
  and India (to supplement national uses and
  European exports)
• Federal land, cheap
• Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee,
  Interior Department, and GAO looking into royalty
  payment evasion (companies valuing coal at low
  domestic prices, rather than those fetched
  overseas)

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Plans

• 150 million tons
• 26 trains/day
• 4 diesel engines/train 100-120 cars per train
• Barges
• Through Columbia River Gorge (National Scenic
  Area)
• Up to 645 lbs. or 3 of coal dust lost per car
  during transit (BNSF estimate)

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48 mmt/yr coal
10 mmt/yr coal
15-30 mmt/yr coal
44 mmt/yr coal
8 mmt/yr coal
10 mmt/yr coal
Total 150 mmt/yr coal
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Health Consequences of Coal Mining

• Respiratory diseases
• Heart disease
• Cancers
• Low birth weight
• Birth defects
• Etc.

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May, 2013

• Kinder Morgan abandons plan to build coal export
  terminal on Columbia River at St Helens
• Ambre Energy to renegotiate deal to take over
  Decker Mine in Montana
• Ambre having financial problems

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DECKER MINE DECKER, MONTANA
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Accidents

• Almost 40 train derailments over last 2 years
• Vancouver barge hits coal chute
• Mississippi River Barge hit railroad bridge,
  leaking oil
• Runaway train disaster in Quebec
• Risk of fires at coal terminals
• Water intensifies blaze special equipment and
  firefighter training required

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• Coal Train derailment near Baltimore, OH

Coal train derailment from coal dust buildup near
Baltimore, Ohio. Photo from Reuters.
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Mesa, WA Coal Train Derailment(July 2, 2012)
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Westshore Coal Terminal in BCPhoto from CKNW
News Talk 980.
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Train Crossings

• RR limited by federal law from paying more than
  5 costs for improvements in at-grade crossings,
  bridges, tunnels, overpasses to increase safety
  and decrease delay times
• Costs will be borne by local municipalities,
  state and federal taxpayers

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Deception

• Ambre Energy mislead Port of Longview (5 million
  tons/yr internal documents up to 60 million
  tons/yr re-applied at 45 million tons/yr)
• Port of Coos Bay admonished by judge for
  attempting to prevent Sierra Club form obtaining
  public records re proposed terminal

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Health Effects

• Diesel particulate matter
• impaired lung development
• pulmonary inflammation
• increased risk of heart attacks/strokes/cancer/ast
  hma (ER visits and hospitalizations)
• increases cardiopulmonary and all-cause mortality

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Health Effects

• Coal Dust
• chronic bronchitis/emphysema/pulmonary fibrosis
• exposure to heavy metals
• Organic gardeners
• 3-fold increased risk of cancer in coal terminal
  workers in Australia

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Coal Dust
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Coal Dust Escape645 lbs without surfactant97
lbs with surfactantBNSF Study
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Health Effects

• Noise
• Cardiovascular disease (heart attacks, increased
  BP, arrhythmias)
• Stroke
• Cognitive impairment in children
• Exacerbation of mental health disorders
• Sleep disturbance (fatigue, HTN, arrhythmias,
  accidents and injuries)

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Health and Environmental Effects

• Adverse Effects on
• Native Americans
• Yakima Nation tribal fishing sites
• Organic gardeners
• Quality of life

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Frequent, Long Train Crossings

• Delayed EMS and fire department response times
• Effect on heart attack/stroke/trauma victims,
  police response to crimes
• Portland Fire Department response times already
  poor
• Houseboat fire
• Increased accidents traumatic injuries, deaths

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Consequences of Burning Coal

• Increased ground level ozone
• Mercury and other heavy metals
• Neurotoxin
• 300,000-600,000 women of reproductive age with
  toxic levels
• 18 of Mt Bachelor mercury from Asian power
  plants

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Consequences of Burning Coal

• Air pollution
• 75,000 premature deaths/yr in U.S.
• 6 million worldwide
• Government program promoting coal use in Northern
  China may cut life expectancy of 500 million
  people by average 5 yrs

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Consequences of Burning Coal

• Global warming
• 400,000 deaths and 5.0 - 5.5 million
  disability-adjusted life years lost per year
  (Climate Vulnerability Monitor, WHO, UN
  Environment Program)
• Expected to double by 2030
• Weather extremes

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True Cost of Coal

• Subsidies for polluting energy sources greater
  than 12 times subsidies for renewables (excluding
  military costs)
• U.S. 502 billion in fossil fuel subsidies in
  2012
• Much internalized as industry profits
• The public health costs of coal alone are more
  than double the U.S. average retail electricity
  rate
• When subsidies and externalities taken into
  account, renewables look great

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Jobs

• Support of unions, living wage
• Short-term, unhealthy jobs
• Effect on local retailers and their often low
  wage employees
• U.S. taxpayers subsidizing Chinese and Indian
  jobs
• Amoral logic of someone else will sell it to
  them similar to tobacco exports

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Jobs

• Jobs program for pulmonologists, special ed
  teachers, and morticians

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Multnomah County Health Department Analysis

• 9 of population suffers from asthma.
• Coal dust may travel 1/3rd to 1 1/4 miles from
  train tracks.
• Almost 1/3 of population lives in areas that
  either border or cross rail lines that could
  carry coal and already experience a high burden
  of air pollution and noise disturbance from
  industrial sites, roads, and trains

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Multnomah County Health Department Analysis

• Communities of color, children, older adults, and
  low income citizens most likely to be affected
• Cumulative delay of up to two hours per day at
  each rail crossing and delays in emergency
  response times expected
• Precautionary principle invoked, calls for HIS
  and EIA

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Public Opposition

• Have indicated concern or disapproval of coal
  export proposals
• 600 health professionals
• 400 local businesses
• 220 faith leaders

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Public Opposition

• Have indicated concern or disapproval of coal
  export proposals
• Multiple Oregon and Washington municipalities
• Northwest Tribes (Lummi Nation and Yakama Nation)

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Public Opposition

• Over 1,000 people attended Oregon DEQ hearings in
  12/12
• Impressive state capital rally 3/13
• Hearing and rally re Port of Morrow Project
  (7/13)
• Other events planned

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The Latest

• 4/1/13 Environmental groups announce intent to
  sue Burlington Santa Fe Railway and several coal
  companies for violations of federal Clean Water
  Act
• 6/13 Army Corps of Engineers (federal permitting
  agency)decides NOT to consider local or global
  health and environmental effects of coal burning

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The Latest

• Plans to use railways and terminals to transport
  Canadian Tar Sands and North Dakota fracked oil
  through Pacific NW for export

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What You Can Do

• Join Power Past Coal Coalition
• Volunteer
• Call Governor Kitzhaber or his Citizen
  Representative [phone]
• Contact DEQ and DSL

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What You Can Do

• Continue to demand a full spectrum Environmental
  Impact Statement (EIS) and Health Impact
  Assessment (HIA)
• Demand a halt to all proposals

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Conclusions

• Coal is a dying 19th Century technology with
  Dickensian effects on human health and the
  environment
• The consequences of coal transport through the
  Pacific Northwest and its subsequent burning in
  Asian power plants is bad for the Northwest, the
  United States, and the world

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Conclusions

• U.S. needs an energy policy for the 21st century,
  using clean technologies that provide long-term,
  well-paying, and safe jobs

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Günter Grass

• The first job of a citizen is to keep your mouth
  open.

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African Proverb

• If you think you are too small to have an
  impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in your
  tent

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Special Thanks To

• Regna Merritt, Oregon PSR
• regna_at_oregonpsr.org
• Laura Stevens, Oregon Sierra Club/Beyond Coal
  Campaign
• Andy Harris and Susan Katz, Oregon PSR
• Alan Lockwood, PSR
• Thousands of concerned citizens who have
  volunteered their time and energy

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Resources

• Power Past Coal http//www.powerpastcoal.org/
• Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign
  http//content.sierraclub.org/coal/
• Coals Assault on Human Health (Physicians for
  Social Responsibility) http//www.psr.org/resourc
  es/coals-assault-on-human-health.html
• Oregon PSR Resources http//www.psr.org/chapters/
  oregon/environmental-health-/proposed-coal-exports
  .html and http//www.psr.org/chapters/oregon/envir
  onmental-health-/

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Contact Information

• Public Health and Social Justice Website
• http//www.publichealthandsocialjustice.org
• or
• http//www.phsj.org
• Martin Donohoe
• martindonohoe_at_phsj.org