Gateway Pacific Terminal: Introducing the Actors

In the unfolding narrative of the coal-export terminal scheduled to be built at Cherry Point, I'll be asking several questions:

First, who are the actors?

Image compilation: Kathlyn Kinney

Next, where do the benefits flow?

This is noteworthy in the context of the massive trade deficit garnered by the US toward China. (See Norm Becker on "Does Growth in the East Depend Upon Consumption in the West?") Coal may be one of the few remaining exports capable of balancing that deficit.

While this may look good to lawmakers, there may appear to be a conflict of interest in that SSA Marine is 49% owned by Goldman Sachs.

Where are the losses felt?

There are already instances of the coal-mining industry cutting safety corners to meet burgeoning demand oversees.

Photo credit: Paul Damien, National Geographic

In this 2010 National Geographic article ("Mine Tragedy Amid Push to Produce More"), a former U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration investigator points out that current investigative practices rely on interviews with responsible parties and focus only on technical causes of accidents, rather than public hearings which might unearth larger issues of voluntary oversight.

The common conflict of profits vs. precautions will likely come into play in a work environment exhibiting high exposure to coal dust, a cause of black lung cancer.

It promises little to address the effect of coal dust on the broader population, with direct and indirect health costs from fine particulates amounting to $190 million per year according to the Washington State Department of Ecology (2009 report: "Health Effects and Economic Impacts of Fine Particle Pollution in Washington", as cited in "Health Impacts of Coal Transport on Communities").

It will almost certainly ignore the affront to the sovereignty of the Lummi Nation, which attaches not only economic, but spiritual and cultural significance to Cherry Point (STPO - Xwe'chi'eXen (Cherry Point) Position "NO"). They will be hard-pressed in the months ahead to bring to the table a more holistic view of "environmental services".

Over the following weeks, I will delve into:

Whether the terminal is good for the economy in the long run

Even if it is good for the economy, is it good?

Does an environmental impact assessment capture this?

How can it be captured?

And lastly, what can concerned citizens do?