Rallies Call on Governor Kitzhaber to Reject Coal Export Permits

Coal export opponents came together last Wednesday, March 13, to send a message - loud and clear - to Governor Kitzhaber: deny the permit – don’t let Oregon become the coal chute for dirty coal export.

Missed the rally? Check out these great pictures from the Salem rally, by photographers Alex Milan Tracy and Greg Sortir, and from the Gorge rally & march.

Salem Rally

450 citizens from across the Northwest converged on the Capitol steps in Salem. “We don’t need to strip mine our country and ship our resources overseas to create jobs," says Marshall Runkel, a member of the business delegation at the rally. “If our goal is jobs, then we should invest in energy efficiency which would create thousands of great jobs for insulators, electricians, plumbers, and HVAC technicians. These industries are integral to the fabric of our local communities.”

The business delegation, led by Runkle, was one of six delegations that stood on the Capitol steps in front of the overflowing crowd opposing coal export. Rally goers were urging Governor Kitzhaber and the Department of State Lands to deny the permit for Ambre Energy’s dredging permit at the Port of Morrow Pacific.

Gorge Rally

In Hood River, 125 residents came together for a satellite rally and march. The crowd chanted and cheered as they made their way from Riverside Community Church to Overlook Park “Sounding the Alarm” to protect the Columbia River Gorge from dirty coal barges and trains.

Many community leaders and residents feel they can’t trust the Australian-based coal company which in 2011 lied to the community of Longview about its plans to expand from annual coal shipments of 5 million tons to as much as 80 million tons—15 times the amount claimed on its application.

----

The Ambre Energy coal export proposal faced another setback when the company initially refused to provide information about project impacts to the Oregon Department of State Lands. After acknowledging that the Department would likely deny the permit, Ambre asked for a five-month extension to reconsider its refusal which was granted.