ACTION ALERT: Protect Washington from Coal Export

We need your help to protect Washington's Coast and the Columbia River from coal export terminals. 

The Washington legislature is poised to vote in the next few days on HB 2162, a bill that would amend the Shorelines Management Act to make it easier to develop coal export terminals in Washington.

Coal export terminals present serious risks for our communities - from coal dust hurting our families' health and the environment, to coal trains clogging our roads. Coal companies know that the more people learn about coal exports, the more they are concerned about impacts to their communities. Now they're trying to change the law to make it easier to move coal export projects forward. Make no mistake: HB 2162 would be a huge gift to the coal export industry in Washington.

We need to let our elected leaders know that Washington says NO to coal export by calling them and telling them to reject this bill unless it is amended to not apply to coal export projects.

Please call the state's Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000 and leave a message for your representatives to "Oppose HB 2162 unless it's amended to not apply to coal export projects."

HB 2162 would impact our ability to stop or at least mitigate nasty industrial developments, like coal export terminals. Columbia Riverkeeper has partnered with thousands of citizens from across Washington who have come together to say no to coal export proposals. It is unacceptable for our elected leaders in Olympia to promote a bill that will make the permitting process easier for these polluting projects. Major coal companies such as Peabody, Arch, and Ambre have been pushing hard to use the Columbia River as a coal superhighway, and we need to tell our legislators to vote against HB 2162, a bill that would make it easier for coal companies to steamroll over community health, safety, and environmental concerns.

To find your own legislator's contact information, go to: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder/

Please call and email your representative today!

Washington communities are standing up to fight dirty coal exports. The Washington legislature should do the same.

Learn more about Riverkeeper's fight against coal export:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biuUw60jCwU[/youtube]